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MAP  SHOWING  THE  BURNT  DISTRICT. 


hux. 


TO  THE 


iWFjw  m ww 

WHO  PROMPTLY  RESPONDED  IN  THE  HOUR 
OF  NEED,  TO  THE  NECESSITIES 
OF  THE 


WHO  PASSED 


“THROUGH  the  FLAMES  and  BEYOND," 


TIIIS  VOLUME 


THE  FLAMES  COMMUNICATE  WITH  THE  SHIPPING  AND  DESTROY  THE  GRAIN  ELEVATORS 


THE  LOST  CITY- ! 


AS  IT  WAS,  and  AS  IT  IS! 

AND  ITS 

G-loTioizs  Futzire  ! 

A VIVID  AND  TRUTHFUL  PICTURE  OF  ALL  OF  INTEREST  CON- 
NECTED WITH  THE  DESTRUCTION  OF  CHICAGO  AND 
THE  TERRIBLE  FIRES  OF  THE 
GREAT  NORTH-WEST. 

STARTLING,  THRILLING  INCIDENTS, 

FRIGHTFUL  SCENES,  HAIR-BREADTH  ESCAPES,  INDIVIDUAL 
HEROISM,  SELF-SACRIFICES,  PERSONAL  ANECDOTES, 

&c.,  TOGETHER  WITH  A HISTORY  OF  CHICAGO 
FROM  ITS  ORIGIN,  STATISTICS  OF  THE 
GREAT  FIRES  OF  THE  WORLD,  &c. 

BY  FRANK  LUZERNE, 

A RESIDENT  OP  CHICAGO  FOR  TWENTY-FIVE  YEARS,  AND  AN  EYE  WITNESS  OP  THE  TERRIBLE 

CONFLAGRATION. 

EDITED  BY  JOHN  G.  WELLS, 

AUTHOR  OP  WELLS’  EVERY  MAN  HIS  OWN  LAWYER;  WELLS’  ILLUSTRATED  NATIONAL  HAND-BOOK; 
AND  OTHER  POPULAR  WORKS. 

PROFUSELY  ILLUSTRATED  WITH  MAPS  AND  ENGRAVINGS  FROM  PHOTOGRAPHS  TAKEN  ON  THE  SPOT. 


Bjew  tforfe  \ 

WELLS  & COMPANY,  432  BROOME  STREET. 

M.  A.  PARKER  & CO.,  152  SOUTH  MORGAN  ST.,  CHICAGO,  ILLS. 

B.  R.  STURGES,  81  WASHINGTON  ST.,  BOSTON,  MASS. 
A.  L.  BANCROFT  & CO.,  SAN  FRANCISCO,  CALIFORNIA. 

1872. 


BOSTON  COLLEGE  U WRARY 
CHESTNUT  HILL*  MASS, 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1872,  by  Wells  & Co.,  in  the  office  of  th* 
Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

C 42 


5883^ 


THE  YOUNG  LADIES  OF  CHICAGO  DISTRIBUTING  SANDWICHES  TO  THE  POOR  CHILDREN 


(:■■■■ 


/ 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


1ST  OF 


J 


CHICAGO  IN  1820. - 

A DAT  SCENE  IN  GRACE  CHURCH — THE  PASTOR  AND  ASSISTANTS 
SERVING  OUT  RATIONS  FOR  THE  DESTITUTE.  - 
A NIGHT  SCENE  IN  GRACE  CHURCH — CITIZENS  PREPARING  FOR 

REST. 

THE  YOUNG  LADIES  OF  CHICAGO  MAKING  AND  DISTRIBUTING  SAND- 
WICHES TO  THE  HUNGRY. 

CHILDREN  THROWN  OUT  FROM  WINDOWS  IN  BEDS.  - 
PANIC  STRICKEN  CITIZENS  CARRYING  THE  AGED,  SICK  AND  HELP- 
LESS AND  ENDEAVORING  TO  SAVE  FAMILY  TREASURES.  - 
RESCUE  OF  LADIES  FROM  A BUILDING  IN  FLAMES.  - - 

WEDDING  AMID  THE  RUINS — A ROMANTIC  INCIDENT. 

RUSH  FOR  LIFE — CROSSING  RANDOLPH  STREET  BRIDGE. 

HOMELESS  CITIZENS  IN  CAMP  ON  THE  SHORE  OF  LAKE  MICHIGAN. 

A FIRE  SCENE  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

REFUGEES  FROM  WHITE  ROCK,  HURON  CO.,  MICH.,  SEEKING 
SAFETY  IN  THE  WATER.  ------- 

HON.  R.  B.  MASON,  MAYOR  OF  CHICAGO.  - 

THE  DESPERATE  ATTEMPT  OF  A FATHER  TO  SAVE  HIS  CHILDREN.  - 
SWIFT  JUSTICE — ILLUSTRATING  THE  FATE  OF  THE  THIEVES  AND 

INCENDIARIES. 

INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  THE  CINCINNATI  SOUP-HOUSE  ON  PEORIA 

STREET.  

ERIE  RAILWAY  DEPOT,  NEW  YORK  CITY,  ON  THE  STARTING  OF  THE 
LIGHTNING  TRAIN  WITH  RELIEF  FOR  CHICAGO. 

VIEW  OF  THE  BURNT  DISTRICT — SHOWING  PROMINENT  BUILDINGS 
DESTROYED  AND  THOSE  PRESERVED.  - 
AN  EXPRESS  TRAIN  RUNNING  THE  GAUNTLET  IN  THE  BLAZING 

WOODS  OF  THE  PRAIRIES. 

BURNING  OF  THE  CENTRAL  GRAIN  ELEVATORS  AT  THE  MOUTH 

OF  THE  CHICAGO  RIVER. 

GETTING  WATER  FROM  THE  ARTESIAN  WELL.  - 
THE  REV.  MR.  COLLYER  PREACHING  ON  THE  SITE  OF  HIS  CHURCH. 
GENERAL  DEPOT  OF  SUPPLIES  FOR  THE  SUFFERERS.  - 
kerfoot’s  BLOCK  AFTER  THE  FIRE.  - 


PAGE. 

27 

243 

247 

9 

129 

97 

309 

165 

215 

15 

263 

295 

53 

147 

189 

221 

201 

59 

13 

255 

235 

251 

205 

229 


LIST  OF  ILLU STRATIONS — ( Continued) , 


LAYING  THE  CORNER  STONE  OF  THE  FIRST  BUILDING  AFTER  THE 
FERE.  ---------- 

INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  THE  DEPOT  FOR  SUPPLIES  IN  THE  WEST  SIDE 
SKATING  RINK.  - - - - - - 

THE  BURNING  OF  PESHTIGO.  - - - 

IMPROVISED  SHANTIES  ON  THE  NORTH  SIDE.  - 
SCENE  ON  THE  ROOF  OF  CAFTAIN’s  BUILDING  WHERE  THE  JANITOR 

AND  HIS  FAMILY  PERISH. 

SCENE  IN  THE  GERMAN  CEMETERY — THE  LIVING  SEEKING  SAFETY 

IN  THE  CITY  OF  THE  DEAD. 

LADIES  DISTRIBUTING  CLOTHING  TO  THE  SUFFERERS  OF  BOTH 


WORKMEN  HAULING  SAFES  FROM  THE  RUINS.  - 

OPENING  BANK  VAULTS,  CORNER  LAKE  AND  DEARBORN  STREETS. 

A LADY  BETWEEN  TWO  FEATHER  BEDS  ABLAZE.  - 
RECOVERING  VALUABLES  FROM  THE  RUINS.  - 
THE  COURT  HOUSE  BELL,  AFTER  IT  HAD  FELL.  - 

BOOKSELLERS  ROW,  STATE  STREET.  

VIEW  FROM  THE  COURT  HOUSE  LOOKING  SOUTH-EAST. 

VIEW  FROM  THE  COURT  HOUSE  LOOKING  SOUTH.  - 
CLARK  STREET,  SOUTH  FROM  WASHINGTON  STREET.  - 
COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  REBUILDING  OF  CHICAGO.  - - - 

FURNISHING  COFFINS  TO  BURY  THE  DEAD.  - 

DEPOT  FOR  SUPPLIES  AT  THE  SKATING  RINK.  - 

THE  NEW  PACIFIC  HOTEL. 

SCENE  IN  DEARBORN  STREET  WHEN  THE  FLAMES  REACHED  THE 

TREMONT  HOUSE. 

GRAIN  ELEVATORS  ON  FIRE.  ------- 

BURNING  OF  THE  CROSBY  OPERA  HOUSE.  - 

MAP,  SHOWING  THE  BURNT  DISTRICT. 

THE  FLAMES  COMMUNICATING  WITH  THE  SHIPPING,  AND  DESTROY- 
ING THE  GRAIN  ELEVATORS.  - - 

SCENE  IN  THE  PUBLIC  SQUARE — THE  COURT  HOUSE  IN  FLAMES  - 
AN  ENTERPRISING  YOUTH  DISPOSING  OF  RELICS.  - 

SCENE  ON  THE  PRAIRIES. 

IN  CAMP  ON  THE  SHORE  OF  LAKE  MICHIGAN.  - 
EXTERIOR  VIEW  OF  THE  CINCINNATI  SOUP  HOUSE.  - 
TRYING  TO  SAVE  A FAVORITE  DOG  AND  CANARY  BIRDS. 


PAGE. 

297 

257 

265 

305 

71 

197 

233 

175 

183 

187 

25 

151 

227 

103 

213 

39 

169 

275 

37 

81 

105 

87 

2 

5 

75 

17 

271 

115 

220 

307 


AN  EXPRESS  TRAIN  RUNNING  THE  GAUNTLET  IN  THE  BLAZING  "WOODS. 


AN  ENTERPRIZING  YOUTH  DISPOSING  OF  RELICS. 


INTRODUCTION. 

It  is  impossible  for  any  mind  to  grasp  and  comprehend  in 
one  view,  the  stupendous  events  narrated  in  the  succeeding 
chapters  of  this  book.  It  seems  impossible  for  the  ordinary  in- 
tellect to  appreciate  that  these  chapters  comprise  the  details  of 
the  most  tragic  and  heart-rending  calamity  that  ever  befel 
a people  since  the  beginning  of  history.  It  is  not  yet  adequately 
understood — perhaps  will  not  be  in  our  generation — that  the 
Conflagration  of  Chicago,  will,  in  the  records  of  future  ages,  figure 
as  the  crowning  disaster  of  the  Nineteenth  Century, — a disaster 
not  like  that  which  over-took  Herculaneum  and  Pompeii,  ior 
they  still  lie  buried  beneath  the  ruins  of  their  grandeur,— but  as  the 
holocaust  of  that  wonderful  City  which  sprang  into  existence  at 
the  behest  of  the  very  Aladdin  of  enterprise,  and  exhaled  before 
a cloud  of  flame  like  the  unsubstantial  fabric  of  a vision,  that* 


18 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


like  the  Phoenix,  has  already  arisen  from  her  ashes,  and  is  plum* 
ing  herself  for  still  grander  achievements  than  those  which  so 
eminently  distinguished  her  in  the  past.  Her  ashes  are  not 
yet  cold,  but  they  are  already  surmounted  by  edifices  whose  sub- 
stantial construction  would  seem  to  be  the  result  of  long  and 
patient  toil,  and  the  hum  of  business  is  again  heard  in  those 
streets  that  but  a few  days  ago  were  so  completely  devastated 
by  the  Demon  of  Flame.  The  new  wonder  will  prove  more 
wonderful  than  the  old,  for  the  fire  has  operated  like  the  sowing 
of  dragons’  teeth,  in  raising  up  men  equal  to  the  great  emer- 
gency, who  will  promptly  master  the  situation  and  command  it. 

We  have  more  to  do  with  the  old  Chicago  than  the  new,  with 
stern  facts  than  prediction,  with  history  that  is  more  romantic 
than  the  veriest  fiction  that  ever  found  its  germ  in  the  human 
intellect.  The  true  record  of  the  Chicago  Fire,  its  facts,  figures, 
incidents,  hair  breadth  escapes,  miraculous  rescues,  individual 
daring,  and  the  noble  charities  of  the  world  that  flowed  in  upon 
its  victims  with  a spontaneity  as  unprecedented  as  they  were 
grateful  and  humane,  serve  as  foundation  and  superstructure  of 
“ Chicago  as  it  was  and  is  but  dealing,  as  it  does,  with  real- 
ities alone,  it  is  almost  impossible  for  the  compiler  to  divest  his 
mind  of  the  impression  that  he  is  recording  a horrid  phantasma- 
gorical  vision,  rather  than  the  facts  of  real  life.  Away  from  the 
ruins,  and  with  all  the  consequences  of  the  disaster  removed  from 
view,  it  is  impossible  to  realize  that  in  the  short  space  of  twenty- 
four  hours  the  wealth  of  our  North-western  metropolis  was  dis- 
counted in  the  sum  of  near  $200,000,000 ; that,  worse  than  the 
mere  pecuniary  loss,  treasures  of  art,  and  accumulations  of  the 
lore  of  ages,  that  no  amount  of  wealth  can  replace,  were  devoured 
by  the  flames ; and  immeasurably  worse  yet,  that  hundreds  of 
precious  lives  were  swept  away  in  the  irresistable  whirlwind  of 
fire,  which  respected  neither  young  nor  old,  beauty  nor  inno- 
cence, the  strong  nor  the  helpless,  but,  more  implacable  than  the 
demons  of  the  Herodian  massacre,  pursued  them  to  the  death, 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


19 


without  regard  to  age,  sex  or  condition.  It  is  a chapter  of  horrors 
that  can  only  be  written  as  it  was,  with  a pen  of  fire  ; but  our 
task  is  to  clothe  in  words  an  approximate  idea  of  its  realities,  and 
a true  version  of  the  facts,  that  are  destined  to  occupy  a promi- 
nent page  in  history. 

We  undertake  this  task  in  the  belief  that  an  eye-witness 
of  many  of  the  scenes  and  incidents  herein  detailed  and  a person- 
al acquaintance  of  most  of  the  actors  in  and  sufferers  by  the 
overwhelming  calamity,  is  best  prepared  to  give  a reliable  version 
of  its  remarkable  phenomena,  adventures  and  contingencies ; of 
its  wonderful  escapes,  fearful  tragedies  and  indescribable  results 
— but  it  is  necessary  for  the  reader  to  understand,  that  very  few 
intelligent  observers  witnessed  the  scenes  and  incidents  described 
from  the  same  points  of  observation ; that  many  were  overcome 
by  fear,  personal  bereavements  or  great  anxiety ; that  before 
the  bewildered  gaze  of  every  onlooker,  the  appalling  panorama 
of  flame  passed  with  the  speed  of  the  whirlwind,  licking  up,  with 
its  thousand-forked  tongue,  great  blocks  of  brick  and  stone  build- 
ings as  readily  as  if  they  had  been  mere  toy  houses  of  lath ; 
and  that  intelligible  description  is  necessarily  hampered  by  these 
and  a hundred  other  influences  that  encumber  the  minds  of  those 
who  are  now  seeking  to  make  a reliable  history  of  these  astounding 
occurences.  The  reader  that  did  not  witness  these  scenes  never 
can  picture  them  to  his  imagination.  The  readiest  writer  that 
saw  and  mingled  in  them  will  never  present  the  picture  as  he  saw 
it,  to  the  mind  of  his  reader  : for  neither  pen  nor  pencil  can  do  it 
justice.  However  heart-rending  the  details,  the  rent  hearts  of 
thousands  of  bereaved  ones  will  declare  them  far,  very  far,  short 
of  the  truth. 

The  liveliest  imagination  cannot  picture  the  unutterable  sad- 
ness of  such  a reality,  but  to  bring  the  facts  right  home  to  the 
business  and  bosom  of  readers  everywhere,  let  them  suppose 
some  of  the  leading  incidents  and  results  of  the  succeeding  his- 
tory to  occur  in  their  own  towns  and  cities.  To-day  they  are 


20 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


prosperous,  progressive,  happy : in  the  silent  watches  of  the 
night  the  angel  of  destruction  comes  with  his  flaming  sword  and 
devastates  all  their  substance  ; brings  death  to  their  loved  ones, 
poverty  to  their  millionaires,  dire  want  to  all  their  people.  The  rich 
man  of  to-day  is  to-morrow  a beggar;  the  happy  wife  and  mother, 
widowed,  childless,  insane;  husbands  bereft,  and  lovers  separated 
by  the  pathless  ocean  of  death.  Everything  gone  at  one  fell 
stroke,  even  before  the  fact  of  the  destruction  can  be  realized, 
and  nothing  left  but  the  evidences  of  utter  ruin ! The  vilest 
crusts  have  now  become  sweet  morsels  to  the  pampered  children 
of  luxury ; and  the  fop  of  yesterday,  who  criticised  his  tailor 
without  mercy  for  the  slightest  wrinkle  in  his  fashionable  habil- 
iments, accepts  in  charity  a soiled  and  thread-bare  coat  as  a 
priceless  boon.  Dives  and  Lazarus  are  equally  solicitous  of 
crumbs.  The  fashionable  belle  forgets  the  length  of  her  trail 
and  the  style  of  her  chignon  in  the  merciless  gnawings  of  hun- 
ger, and  joins  the  eleemosynary  throng  in  a chintz  wrapper, 
and  without  a care  for  the  opinion  of  “ society,”  anxious  to 
satisfy  the  demands  of  nature  at  any  sacrifice  of  pride.  In  this 
slight  recapitulation  of  actual  occurrences  there  is  something  of 
the  grotesque  mingled  with  the  tragic,  but  it  is  all  sufficiently 
woefnl,  and  unutterably  sad. 

It  seems  impossible  to  give  too  much  emphasis  to  the 
noble  humanity  of  people  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  w'hen  the  cry 
for  help  was  flashed  over  the  wires  from  Chicago.  It  was  the  cry 
that  made  all  mankind  kin  on  the  instant,  and  the  strife  imme- 
diately began  as  to  who  should  be  first  in  making  an  adequate 
response.  Those  who  were  most  conveniently  located,  geograph- 
ically, were  of  course  first  on  the  ground,  but  supplies  were  at 
once  started  from  all  points  of  the  compass,  and  from  every  local- 
ity where  the  emergency  was  understood.  No  city  can  honestly 
claim  the  credit  of  having  been  first  in  the  work,  for  action  was 
simultaneous  throughout  the  land,  and  in  a few  hours  after  receipt 
of  the  news,  great  trains  of  supplies  were  on  the  way  from  New 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


21 


York,  Philadelphia,  Pittsburgh,  Cincinnati,  St.  Louis,  Louisville 
and  all  the  cities  of  importance.  It  may  appear  invidious  to  par- 
ticularize, but  it  is  well  known,  that  Col.  Fisk  and  the  officers  of 
the  Erie  Load  were  especially  active  in  measures  for  the  imme- 
diate relief  of  the  sufferers  A special  train  was  loaded  with  the 
miscellaneous  contributions  of  the  people  of  New  York — including 
clothing,  provisions,  blankets,  mattresses  ; a great  collection  of 
substantial  goods, — the  road  cleared  for  the  occasion,  and  all  ar- 
rangements complete  under  the  personal  supervision  of  Col.  Fisk. 
The  ponderous  engine  is  attached  and  the  colonel  stands  with 
watch  in  hand  to  give  the  last  directions. 

“ All  ready,  Sam  ? ” 

“ Ready,  Colonel.” 

“ What  is  the  quickest  time  ever  made  between  New  YY>rk 
and  Buffalo,  Sam?” 

“ 12.20,  Colonel.” 

“ Make  it  to-day  in  11.20.” 

“ Open  her,  Sam.” 

And  Sam  Walker,  a tall,  grey  eyed,  nervy  man — just  the  man 
for  the  place,  and  honestly  proud  of  his  position,  with  compressed 
lips,  drew  back  the  lever,  and  the  train  swept  away,  forty,  fifty 
miles  an  hour,  with  help  for  the  houseless,  starving  hosts  of  th© 
burned  city. 

A similar  incident  in  St.  Louis  : 

“ What  time  shall  I make,  Mr.  Johnson  ? ” 

“ The  best  your  machine  can  show.” 

" What  stops  ? ” 

“ Only  for  wood  and  water.” 

“ How’s  the  track  ? ” 

“ All  clear.  Everything  is  side-tracked  for  this  special.” 

An  entire  railroad  line  given  up  to  the  work  of  instant 
relief! 

Miles  Greenwood,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  respected 
citizens  of  Cincinnati,  came  in  charge  of  the  detachment  of  the 


22 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


fire  department  of  that  city.  He  was  for  several  years  chief 
engineer  of  the  department. 

“ Where  is  your  Engineer  ?”  was  his  first  question. 

“ Gone  home,  sir,  completely  exhausted.” 

“ Who  has  charge,  then  ?” 

“ I am  in  charge,”  said  a young  man,  stepping  to  the  front. 

“ Well,  the  Cincinnati  boys  are  here  with  their  machines. 
What  do  you  want  us  to  play  on  ?” 

“ You  may  play  on  that  elevator  over  yonder.” 

“ Is  it  on  fire  ?” 

“ No,  sir.” 

“ Then  we  shan’t  play  on  it.  We  came  here  to  put  out 
fire.  What  is  that  fire  over  there  ?”  pointing  in  another  direc- 
tion. 

“ That  is  a Coal  Yard.” 

“ We’ll  go  and  put  it  out.” 

At  it  they  went  and  were  as  good  as  their  word.  Then  they 
extinguished  the  fire  in  other  coal  yards  and  saved  near  two  mil- 
lions bushels  of  coal.  These  Cincinnati  boys  did  not  tire  as  long 
as  there  was  anything  to  do,  and  accomplished  a vast  amount  of 
good  under  the  leadership  of  Mr.  Greenwood, — and  when  their 
work  was  done  they  returned,  orderly  and  in  perfect  discipline 
to  their  honored  city,  proud  of  having  accomplished  something 
in  the  work  of  humanity. 

The  relief  committees  who  came  to  us  with  the  bountiful 
offerings  of  noble  hearts  everywhere,  were  generally  the  represen- 
tative men  of  their  communities,  but  they  proved  to  be  working- 
men in  the  great  emergency,  and  took  hold  of  matters  with  a will 
that  commanded  success,  and  resulted  in  just  what  was  sought — 
relief.  Their  works,  their  offerings,  and  kindly  sympathy,  proved 
the  kinship  of  humanity  beyond  a doubt.  The  skeptic  can  now 
find  the  evidence  written  in  letters  of  love  all  over  the  ashes  and 
ruins  of  the  once  proud  city.  Wherever  the  story  of  the  con- 
flagration was  told,  the  hearts  of  mankind  responded  to  the  im- 


CHICAGO  AS  IS  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


23 


pulse  of  universal  brotherhood.  All  seemed  to  act  in  the  spirit 
of  the  noble  sentiment  of  Sir  Walter  Scott:  “ The  race  of  man- 
kind would  perish,  did  they  cease  to  aid  each  other.  From  the 
time  the  mother  binds  the  child’s  head,  till  the  moment  that  same 
kind  assistant  wipes  the  death-damps  from  the  brow  of  the  dy- 
ing, we  cannot  exist  without  mutual  help.  All,  therefore,  that 
needs  aid,  have  a right  to  ask  it  from  their  fellow  mortals  ; no 
one  who  holds  the  power  of  granting,  can  refuse  it  without  guilt.  ” 
True  humanity  consists  in  a disposition  of  heart  to  relieve  mis- 
ery. It  appertains  rather  to  the  mind  than  the  nerves,  and 
prompts  men  to  use  real  and  active  endeavors  to  execute  the 
actions  it  suggests.  Men,  women,  and  even  children,  throughout 
the  land,  responded  nobly  to  this  sentiment : and  great  corpora- 
tions, that  are  said  to  have  no  souls,  felt  the  thrill  of  benevolence 
and  responded  to  its  promptings.  Bankers  opened  their  hearts 
and  their  strong  boxes  ; beggars  pawned  their  all  to  give  to  those 
whose  needs  were  so  exigent.  A man  in  St.  Louis  gave  all  he 
had ; a poor  woman  gave  her  cow ; a little  negro  contributed  his 
only  dime ; a poor  student  sold  all  his  books  and  donated  the 
proceeds ; a farmer  in  Northern  Indiana  auctioned  off  his  hops 
for  the  benefit  of  the  sufferers  and  handed  over  the  entire  pro- 
ceeds to  the  Belief  Committee  ; a boot-black  announced  that  the 
receipts  of  one  day’s  work  would  go  to  the  needy  of  Chicago,  and 
was  enabled  to  make  a donation  of  twenty-five  dollars  as  the  re- 
sult ; an  Irish  laborer  gave  his  wages  for  an  entire  week ; the 
theatres  gave  benefits,  that  proved  benefits  indeed ; the  churches 
made  noble  contributions ; even  inmates  of  our  prisons  were  en- 
abled to  do  something  in  the  way  of  relief.  Those  who  did  not 
give  are  the  unenviable  few  that  have  no  conception  of  generous 
impulses — those  who  cannot  appreciate  the  blessed  principle 
that  no  amount  of  giving  can  ever  impoverish  true  benevolence. 
Verily  it  is  “ better  to  give  than  to  receive.” 


24 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND, 


We  may  be  expected  to  say  a word  regarding  tlie  recon- 
struction of  Chicago,  but  the  following  extract  from  an  editorial 
article  in  the  London  News  is  so  perfect  a reflex  of  the  thoughts 
and  acts  of  our  people,  and  so  admirably  expressed,  we  give  place 
to  it  instead  of  similar  ideas  in  our  own  language : 

“ This  is  the  consolation  which  already  the  pride  and  energy 
of  Chicago  offer  to  the  people.  There  seems  to  us  something 
admirable  and  characteristic  in  the  elasticity  and  courage  which 
thus  leap  up  the  moment  the  storm  of  devastation  has  done  its 
uttermost,  and  cry  out,  “ We  are  not  wholly  conquered  after  all ; 
let  us  go  to  work  at  once  and  retrieve  what  we  can.”  Nay, 
there  are  even  men  in  Chicago,  who  having  lost  the 
fortunes  of  many  years  accumulations,  are  heard  already 
to  say  that  the  fire  has  taught  a useful  lesson  ; that 
all  the  obliterated  part  of  the  city  was  built  on  a bad  plan,  and 
that  it  must  be  better  done  this  time.  The  vastness  of  this  calam- 
ity is  fully  recognized,  indeed  it  is  written  in  letters  of  blood  and 
flame,  which  defy  any  misinterpretation.  It  is  told  by  the  living 
and  the  dead ; by  the  houseless  wanderers  as  well  as  by  the  cart- 
loads of  corpses.  It  is  proclaimed  by  what  remains  as  well  as 
by  what  has  fallen.  It  is  simply  a story  of  sudden  destruction 
which  stands  alone  in  history.  But  the  one  fact  remains — Chi- 
cago still  fives ; and  the  courage  which  springs  up  at  once  from 
the  ground  to  proclaim  that  fact  is  the  grandest  evidence  that  the 
ruins  will  yet  be  repaired.  Certainly,  if  any  people  on  earth 
ever  deserved  help,  these  people  do,  who  are  thus  so  ready  and 
resolute  to  help  themselves.  The  claim  to  the  sympathy  and 
succor  of  the  English  nation  which  were  given  to  Chicago 
in  her  unparalleled  misfortune,  can  only  be  strengthened  and  in- 
creased by  her  indomitable  courage.” 

Near  5.000  building  permits  have  already  been  issued,  and 
there  will  be  no  interruption  in  the  work  of  rebuilding  until  the 
new  Chicago  arises  from  the  ashes  of  the  old,  in  more  substan- 
tial grandeur,  rehabilitated,  immeasurably  improved,  and  all  the 
better  for  her  thorough  purification.  These  are  bold  words,  but 
their  verification  is  near  at  hand. 


This  book  would  be  incomplete  and  unsatisfactory  -without 
some  general  reference  to  the  great  fires  of  history,  and  especially 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


25 


to  those  which  devasted  large  tracts  of  the  Northwest,  almost 
contemporaneously  with  the  Chicago  holocaust.  The  leading 
facts  and  incidents  of  these  fires  are  given  in  their  proper  place, 
and  will  be  found  of  no  less  absorbing  interest  than  the  principal 
event  upon  which  the  narrative  hinges.  In  the  integrity  and 
completeness  of  the  work  the  public  may  place  the  fullest  reli- 
ance. 


RECOVERING  VALUABLES  FROM  THE  RUINS. 


CHICAGO,  IN  1820. 


PIONEER  HISTORY. 

CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  IN  THE  EAELIEE  DATS. 

FACTS  AND  INCIDENTS  FROM  VARIOUS  SOURCES' 

OF  AUTHENTIC  INFORMATION. 

In  his  masterly  essay  on  History,  Dr.  Willmott  says  that  the 
biography  of  a nation  embraces  all  its  works.  No  trifle  is  to  be 
neglected.  A mouldering  medal  is  a letter  of  twenty  centuries. 
Antiquities  which  have  been  beautifully  called  history  defaced, 
composed  its  fullest  commentary.  In  these  wrecks  of  many 
storms,  which  time  washes  to  the  shore,  the  scholar  looks 
patiently  for  treasures.  The  painting  around  a vase,  the  scribble 
on  a wall,  the  wrath  of  a demagogue,  the  drollery  of  a farce,  the 
point  of  an  epigram — each  possesses  its  own  interest  and  value. 
A fossil  court  of  law  is  dug  out  of  an  orator ; and  the  Pompeii  of 
Greece  is  discovered  in  the  Comedies  of  Aristophanes.  Nothing 
is  unimportant  that  legitimately  belongs  to  the  history  of  a nation 
or  a great  city. 

That  we  are  permitted  to  go  back  more  than  two  hundred 
years,  to  1669,  for  notes  of  our  sketch  of  the  history  of  Chicago, 
will  appear  novel  to  a majority  of  even  the  more  intelligent  of 
our  readers,  for  the  impression  is  very  popular,  and  has  obtained 
wide  currency,  that  not  more  than  half  a century  ago  the  spot 
where  the  city  now  stands  was  worse  than  a howling  wilderness 
and  a terra  incognita , supposed  to  be  inhabited  only  by  Indians, 
outlaws  and  beasts  of  prey.  In  some  respects  this  view  is  not 
entirely  foreign  to  the  truth ; but  at  the  time  to  which  we  refer 
it  was  a trading  post  of  no  little  importance.  Let  us  go  back, 
however,  to  the  beginning  of  its  existence  as  a depot  for  com- 
modities, and  find  what  all  its  greatness  and  importance  sprang 
from. 

The  best  authenticated  records  inform  us  that  the  first  white 
men  who  landed  here  were  the  French  Jesuit  missionaries  and 
fur  traders,  under  lead  of  the  celebrated  guide,  Nicholas  Perrot. 
They  were  in  search  of  profitable  ventures  in  the  way  of  an  ex- 
change of  trinkets  and  rum  for  furs,  with  a little  moral  teaching 


30 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


thrown  in  by  the  missionaries  to  sanctify  the  transactions  and 
guarantee  the  quality  of  the  liquor.  This  initial  visit  occurred 
late  in  the  year  1669,  when  the  territory  was  the  property  of  the 
Miami  tribe  of  Indians.  Subsequently  the  Pottowattamies  con- 
quered the  Miamis,  and  wrested  from  them  their  hunting  grounds 
and  all  their  possessions.  Then  there  was  a better  supply  of  furs 
and  a larger  demand  for  beads  and  “ fire  water,”  for  the  Potto- 
wattamies were  excellent  hunters  and  terrible  drunkards, — rather 
anomalous  characters,  but  remarkably  well  balanced  in  this  tribe 
of  the  noble  red  men. 

The  records  of  the  succeeding  century,  referring  to  this  post, 
offer  little  of  value  to  the  reader  of  to-day,  and  certainly  do  not 
indicate  any  noteworthy  progress  toward  its  material  or  moral 
improvement.  Trade  with  the  Indians  increased  in  importance 
and  consequently  in  profit,  and  to  the  few  adventurous  spirits 
that  were  ready  to  brave  its  personal  risks,  this  far  away  frontier 
settlement  proved  a modem  Djinnestan.  In  1795  the  Pottowat- 
tamies concluded  a treaty  with  General  Wayne,  by  which  “ a tract 
of  land  six  miles  square,  at  the  mouth  of  Chicago  river,”  was 
ceded  to  the  United  States ; and  this  was  the  original  extinction 
of  Indian  title  to  the  site  upon  which  the  great  city  was  subse- 
quently erected.  Previous  to  this  cession,  several  of  the  French 
Jesuits  had  taken  up  their  residence  here,  and  had  made  certain 
improvements  that  seemed  to  give  them  some  shadow  of  title  to 
the  soil,  but  the  Indians  ignored  their  claims  and  remorselessly 
sold  them  out,  although  the  French  authority  was  nominally  in 
the  ascendant  for  ten  or  twelve  years  previous  to  the  treaty. 
They  made  the  improvements,  built  a rude  fort  near  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  erected  comfortable  lodges,  and  cultivated  a few 
acres  of  the  soil  after  a method  that  yielded  them  a fair  return. 
Calumet  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  head-quarters,  or  seat  of 
supreme  authority,  of  this  strangely  mixed  population,  and  their 
villages  were  scattered  up  and  down  the  lake,  for  several  miles, 
and  on  the  Des  Plaines ; and  the  ranging  grounds  of  the  Pot- 
towattamies, from  the  head-waters  of  the  Illinois  to  the  Chicago 
river,  was  the  common  channel  of  transportation  for  goods  and 
furs  between  the  Indians  and  the  traders ; but  the  head-quarters 
of  all  this  primitive  commerce,  its  shipping  point  and  grand 
depot,  was  the  port  of  Chicago,  by  common  consent. 

Dating  back  to  this  period,  there  are  a hundred  traditions  of 


CHICAGO  AS  IS  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


31 


wild  adventure,  bloody  tragedy,  savage  love,  jealousy  and  hate, 
to  engage  the  pen  of  the  historian  of  romantic  incidents,  wherein 
he  would  be  enabled  to  depict  a modern  Busiris  in  one  of  the 
chiefs  of  the  Pottowattamies,  who  ruthlessly  murdered  every 
stranger  that,  landing  on  his  territory,  failed  to  bring  him  a peace 
offering  of  five  gallons  of  rum,  or  an  equivalent  in  trinkets ; a pro- 
totype of  A1  Sirat,  the  bridge  over  hell  no  wider  than  the  edge  of 
a sword,  across  which,  according  to  Mahomedan  theology,  every 
one  who  enters  heaven  must  pass — in  the  terrible  gauntlet 
appointed  to  stragglers  and  unaccredited  visitors  from  other 
tribes,  in  which  delightful  ceremony  the  young  Indians  were  pro- 
vided with  sharp  tomahawks  and  spears  and  drawn  up  in  two 
rows,  facing  each  other,  when  the  delinquent  was  forced  to  run 
between  them,  while  every  Indian  in  the  fines  dealt  him,  in  pas- 
sing, as  severe  a blow  as  he  could  muster  strength  and  agility  to 
inflict,  killing  him  at  last,  unless,  as  was  occasionally  the  case, 
he  was  enabled,  by  wonderful  address,  to  avoid  the  death-blow — 
scalping,  flaying  alive,  burning  at  the  stake,  treachery,  strata- 
gem,—and  all  manner  of  cheats,  with  only  occasionally  an 
instance  of  faith  truly  kept.  The  few  white  men  who  were  here 
did  not  venture  for  the  purpose  of  settlement,  their  business  was 
simply  to  trade  with  the  Indians ; overreach  them  if  possible,  and 
away.  The  gain  from  this  traffic  seemed  to  overbalance  all  con- 
sideration* of  peril  attached  to  it,  and  to  those  well  versed  in  the 
trade,  the  profit  was  very  great.  Kespectable  fortunes,  for  that 
age,  were  acquired  by  the  successful  operators  in  two  or  three 
seasons ; and  there  is  a tradition  that  an  English  adventurer,  by 
a single  trip  among  these  children  of  nature,  obtained,  in 
exchange  for  50  blankets  and  twelve  barrels  of  rum,  a quantity 
of  fine  furs  that  brought  him  $160,000  in  glittering  gold,  on  his 
return  to  the  mother  land.  If  the  Indian  was  crafty  in  a trade, 
the  white  man  was  more  than  a match  for  him  in  that  experi- 
enced bargaining  that  is  the  ruling  element  in  every  civilized 
community,  and  it  is  pretty  certain  that  the  pale-faced  trader 
rarely  failed  to  make  the  “ dicker  ” to  his  own  advantage. 

In  the  year  1804,  the  United  States  government  built  a fort 
here,  and  made  it  the  centre  of  military  operations  in  the  north- 
west. It  was  called  Fort  Dearborn,  and  remained  until  1812, 
when  the  Indians  destroyed  it,  at  the  time  of  the  great  massacre, 
which  has  associated  with  the  name  of  Chicago  a chapter  of 


32 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


romance  so  closely  allied  to  history,  it  is  very  difficult  to  separate 
fact  from  fiction,  relative  to  that  most  bloody  episode  in  our  his- 
tory. The  location  of  the  fort  was  upon  a slight  elevated  point, 
or  the  south  side  of  the  river,  near  the  lake  shore,  and  is  well 
known  to  all  intelligent  residents  of  the  city.  From  its  ramparts 
a good  view  could  be  had  of  the  lake,  the  prairie  extending  to 
the  south,  the  fringe  of  timber  along  the  north  and  south 
branches,  and  the  glistening  white  sand  hills  to  the  north  and 
south,  which  drifted  about  very  much  like  the  snows  of  winter; 
the  sport  of  the  winds  from  lake  and  prairie  alike.  Slowly  and 
laboriously  the  infant  colony  gathered  around  the  nucleus  of 
civilization,  established  by  the  garrison  of  the  fort,  but,  as  the  aid 
to  progress,  in  such  a location,  the  garrison  was  very  weak  and 
inefficient.  It  was  the  object  of  frequent  attacks  by  the  Indians, 
and  in  danger  of  surprise  at  any  hour  of  day  or  night.  A few 
old  traders  and  perhaps  a dozen  families  of  French  Canadians 
and  half-breeds,  none  of  whom  possessed  more  than  the  most 
ordinary  degree  of  intelligence,  erected  their  household  shrines 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  fort,  and  were  content,  for  the  most 
part,  with  the  profits  arising  to  them  as  “ middle-men”  in  the 
increasing  traffic  with  the  Indians,  which  now  constituted  the 
entire  business  of  the  settlement,  and  invested  the  Chicago  of 
that  day  with  all  its  importance. 

We  are  told  that  none  of  the  hardy  pioneers  around  the  walls 
of  old  Fort  Dearborn  have  descendants  to  claim  the  honors  of  so 
distinguished  a paternity,  except  the  Kinzie  family,  which  ex- 
hibits the  only  link  in  the  worn  and  rusted  chain  of  civilization 
that  admits  of  positive  identity.  The  founder  of  this  family, 
John  Kinzie,  came  to  Chicago  in  1804,  the  year  in  which  the  fort 
was  built,  and  was  the  first  permanent  white  resident  of  the  set- 
tlement. From  1804  to  1812,  the  lake  trade  which  centered  at 
the  port  of  Chicago  was  carried  on  by  one  small  sail  vessel,  com- 
ing in  the  fall  and  spring,  bringing  the  season’s  supply  of  goods 
and  stores  for  the  fort,  and  taking  away  the  furs  and  peltries 
which  had  accumulated  during  the  winter  months.  Thus  be- 
gan the  commerce  of  the  port,  and  this  was  nearly  its  extent  for 
a period  of  more  than  sixteen  years.  Kinsie  pursued  the  busi- 
ness of  fur  trading  until  the  breaking  out  of  hostilities  with  the 
Indians,  which  resulted  in  the  massacre  of  1812.  The  friendly 
feeling  which  had  been  assiduously  cultivated  between  him  and 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


S3 


the  redmen  preserved  himself  and  family  from  the  fate  which 
befel  his  neighbors  of  the  fort.  They  came  out  unharmed 
through  the  scenes  of  the  bloody  and  relentless  slaughter.  Re- 
turning to  Chicago  in  1816,  he  remained  here  until  the  date  of 
his  death,  in  1828,  a successful  merchant,  a good  citizen,  and  a 
prominent  mover  in  every  enterprise  calculated  to  result  in  the 
material  benefit  of  the  place.  Although  at  the  time  of  his  death 
the  settlement  contained  a population  numbering  less  than  one 
hundred  souls,  he  was  very  positive  in  asserting  the  superior 
advantages  of  the  site,  and  predicted  that  the  time  would  arrive 
when  its  residents  would  be  numbered  by  thousands ! Most  of 
his  neighbors  thought  him  crazy  on  this  subject,  but  some  of 
them  lived  to  see  the  anticipation  fully  realized,  and  his  imme- 
diate decendants  are  to  rejoice  with  us  over  a population  of  300 
000  souls. 

Cook  County,  of  which  Chicago  is  the  capitol,  was  organized 
in  March,  1831,  and  at  that  time  embraced  all  the  territory  now 
comprised  in  the  counties  of  Cook,  McHenry,  Lake,  Will,  Du- 
Page  and  Iroquois.  This  is  an  immense  area,  reaching  down  to 
near  the  east  and  west  dividing  line  of  the  State,  and  including 
portions  now  thickly  dotted  by  enterprising  towns  and  villages, 
and  beautiful  farms,  and  intersected  by  several  lines  of  prosper- 
ous railroads.  In  1831,  all  the  buildings  in  Chicago  were  log 
cabins,  the  more  pretentious,  including  two  business  houses  and 
a hotel,  of  hewed  logs,  which  were  viewed  as  an  aristocratic  pre- 
tense by  the  more  humble  denizens.  Two  of  the  new  cabins 
were  store-houses  for  goods,  including  calicoes,  rum,  sugar,  coffee 
and  tobacco,  which  at  that  date  were  among  the  leading  necessa- 
ries of  life ; and  two  were  “ hotels,”  that  of  Elijah  Wentworth, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  near  the  fork,  and  Mark  Beau- 
biens,  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  jnst  south  of  the  fork.  These 
were  the  liostelries  within  whose  gates  the  strangers  who  came 
to  the  settlement  wTere  entertained,  and  for  many  years  they 
amply  sufficed  to  furnish  food,  drink,  fire  and  shelter  for  all 
comers,  and  their  reputation  for  generous  entertainment  was 
well  known  throughout  all  the  land.  Two  celebrated  Indian  trad- 
ers, Robert  A.  Kinzie,  located  near  Wentworth’s  tavern,  and  M. 
Bourisso,  just  south  of  Beaubiens,  monopolized  the  business  of 
the  place.  They  were  both  rich,  and  either  was  pecuniarily  able, 
had  he  been  so  disposed,  to  purchase  all  the  land  thereafter  occu- 


34 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


pied  in  building  the  great  city ; and  this  without  detracting  from 
the  capital  of  his  occupation;  but  everybody  would  have  regarded 
such  an  investment  as  fool-hardy  at  that  time. 

On  the  15th  July,  1831,  arrived  at  the  port  of  Chicago  the 
schooner  “ Telegraph,”  from  Ashtabula,  Ohio,  bringing  a number 
of  families  that  did  not  however  settle  here ; but  among  the  pas- 
sengers was  Mr.  P.  F.  W.  Peck,  of  New  York,  who  accompanied 
quite  a shipment  of  assorted  goods,  for  which  he  was  desirous  of 
finding  a profitable  market.  He  was  well  satisfied  with  the 
appearance  of  things  in  and  about  Chicago,  and  at  once  decided 
to  remain  here  and  dispose  of  his  merchandize,  provided  he 
could  make  satisfactory  arrangements  for  a warehouse.  There 
were  no  buildings  for  rent,  as  there  had  been  no  renters,  up  to 
this  time,  but  Peck  conceived  the  idea  of  occupying  a cabin  as 
joint  tenant  with  a family  already  located,  until  his  goods  were 
sold.  With  this  idea  in  his  mind  he  approached  Mr.  J.  B.  Beau- 
bien,  whose  residence  was  upon  the  site  afterwards  occupied  by 
the  splendid  depot  of  the  Illinois  Central  Bailroad  Company, 
and  made  him  a proposition  for  the  occupancy  of  the  principal 
room  in  his  humble  dwelling.  Beaubien  was  of  a speculative 
turn,  and  of  course  always  open  to  a trade,  but  was  in  favor  of 
making  the  proposition  himself.  No ; — he  had  no  room  to  spare 
just  then,  but  he  would  build  a cabin  for  Mr.  Peck  on  fair  terms, 
or  he  would  sell  his  residence  and  give  possession  in  three  days. 
He  would  inquire,  just  for  his  own  information,  as  to  the  value 
of  Mr.  Peck’s  stock. 

“ About  $4,000.” 

“ How  would  it  suit  Mr.  Peck  to  trade  a half  interest  in  the 
goods  for  his  cabin  and  a large  lot  adjoining?” 

Mr.  Peck  did  not  care  to  invest  in  wild  lands. 

“Oh!”  says  Beaubien;  “it  all  lies  right  here  inside  of  the 
town.  There  is  about  twenty  acres  with  the  cabin,  but  I’ll  put 
in  a hundred  acres  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  [North  Side ;] 
and  then  the  cabin  itself  is  one  of  the  best  here — all  for  a half 
interest  in  the  goods.” 

“No,”  said  Peck,  “not  if  it  were  twice  as  much.” 

So  he  went  to  work  and  built  a cabin  for  his  stock,  and  traded 
it  for  furs  and  peltries  at  good  round  figures,  and  was  well  satis- 
fied ; but  the  property  he  rejected  for  $2,000  worth  of  rum  and 
calicoes,  is  to-day  worth  not  less  than  $50.000.000 ; and  Peck 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


35 


remained  in  Chicago  and  witnessed  all  this  stupendous  advance, 
and,  we  are  told  profited  by  the  lesson  in  many  future  transac- 
tions. Mr.  Peck  brought  an  enterprising  spirit  and  good  business 
judgment  to  the  young  settlement,  established  himself  perman- 
ently here,  and  was  active  in  all  improvements  that  promised  to 
benefit  the  place. 

Late  in  the  summer  of  1831,  western  emigration  set  in  largely, 
and  during  the  fall  months  the  population  was  more  than  doub- 
led by  emigrant  families  seeking  homes  and  fortunes  in  the  wilds 
of  the  new  territory.  These  pioneers  were  hardy  representatives 
of  the  “bone  and  sinew  of  the  land,”  generally  intelligent,  and 
prepared  to  endure  the  hardships  and  privations  of  life  on  the 
frontier.  They  were  enterprising  and  far-seeing  in  their  move- 
ments, and  it  was  not  difficult  for  the  more  thoughtful  to  foresee 
something  of  the  future  of  a port  location  like  that  of  Chicago, 
commanding,  as  it  must,  all  the  commerce  of  the  immense  territory 
lying  to  the  northwest.  Investments  in  lands — there  were  as 
yet  no  surveys  of  city  lots — now  began  to  be  somewhat  active, 
and  property  advanced  in  price  nearly  four  fold  within  the  next 
twelve-months.  Some  of  the  more  conservative  among  the  in- 
habitants declared  that  prices  were  inflated,  but  the  “inflation” 
continued,  and  kept  on  increasing  in  volume  from  year  to  year, 
regardless  of  financial  panics  elsewhere,  up  to  the  very  hour  of 
the  conflagation. 

We  learn  that  in  November,  1831,  the  schooner  “Marengo” 
arrived  from  Detroit,  bringing  a consignment  of  goods  of  great 
value  for  the  emigrant  population  that  had  taken  up  their  resi- 
dence in  the  fort.  For  a time  there  were  great  fears  entertained 
of  the  loss  of  the  schooner,  as  during  her  passage  a heavy  gale 
prevailed,  but  she  at  length  arrived  safely,  much  to  the  relief  of 
the  people,  for  there  were  not  less  than  four  hundred  in  the  fort 
who  depended  on  these  supplies  for  subsistance  during  the  win- 
ter. These  people  were  not  generally  counted  as  residents  of 
the  settlement,  as  many  of  them  expected  to,  and  did  remove  into 
the  interior  of  the  territory  early  in  the  spring,  but  their  places 
were  rapidly  taken  by  actual  settlers  during  the  succeeding  year, 
whose  history  was  marked  by  many  substantial  improvements 
for  that  early  time — among  which  may  be  mentioned,  as  a fitting 
close  for  this  sketch,  the  erection  of  the  first  frame  building  in 
the  settlement  of  Chicago ! 


THE  NEW  PACIFIC  HOTEL  BUILDING  DESTP.OYED  BY  THE  FIKE 


VIEW  FROM  CLARK  STREET,  SOUTH  FROM  WASHINGTON  STREET. 


GENERAL  HISTORY. 

IMPROVEMENTS — TOWN  AND  CITY  ORGANIZATIONS — PRICE  OF  REAL  ES- 
TATE— INSTANCES  OF  SUDDEN  FORTUNES,  ETC.  , 


It  was  not  untill  1833  that  Chicago  began  to  excite  general  atten- 
tion throughout  the  United  States  as  a desirable  point  for  resi- 
dence and  investment.  Notices  in  the  newspapers  were  instru- 
mental in  calling  public  notice  to  some  of  its  advantages,  and  the 
commerce  of  the  country  began  to  show  anxiety  for  a harbor 
here ; — therefore  means  were  taken  to  bring  the  subject  before 
Congress  in  such  shape  as  would  be  most  likely  to  induce  favor- 
able legislation.  The  legislation  was  reached  after  long  discus- 
sions in  both  houses,  and  a large  amount  of  editorial  comments 
in  the  leading  journals,  which  served  to  call  a great  deal  of  at- 
tention to  the  place,  and  a bill  passed  appropriating  $30,000  for 
the  improvement  of  Chicago  harbor.  This  was,  in  more  senses 
than  one,  the  key  note  to  our  prosperity.  People  were  convinced 
that  the  place  was  of  some  consequence,  else  this  large  amount 
— much  larger  in  those  days  than  now — would  not  have  been 
granted  for  its  advantage,  and  the  tide  of  immigration  set  in 
earnestly.  The  work  of  harbor  improvement  was  commenced  in 
the  summer  of  1833,  and  pushed  with  energy  till  the  cold  weather 
caused  its  suspension  for  the  season.  In  the  following  spring 
there  was  a great  freshet,  which  effected  more  than  the  labor  of 
man  had  been  able  to  accomplish,  for  the  land  between  the  piers 
was  entirely  washed  out  and  carried  away,  and  the  harbor  effi- 
ciently opened  to  the  commerce  of  the  lake  by  the  hand  of  na- 
ture herself.  This  was  the  beginning  of  that  magnificent  com- 
merce which  now  spreads  its  white  wings  over  all  our  inland  seas, 
and  attracts  to  our  busy  warves  the  traffic  of  a world.  Its  his- 
tory is  practically  the  history  of  Chicago’s  prosperty  and  fame. 

The  vitality  imparted  to  the  business  of  the  place  by  this  im- 
provement is  not  easy  to  appreciate  now,  at  a date  when  a resi- 
dent of  Chicago  is  accounted  to  possess  the  vitality  of  a Sala- 
mander, and  the  concentrated  view  and  push  of  at  least  a dozen 
ordinary  human  bipeds ; but  it  seemed  to  be  sufficient  to  warrant 
the  people  in  believing  themselves  and  their  “ burgh”  of  suffi- 


42 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


cient  importance  to  risk  the  organization  of  a town.  As  the 
nucleus  of  a town  organization  they  already  possessed  an 
estray  pen  and  a jail,  supplemented  by  a newly  appointed  coro- 
ner, whose  office  had  been  improvised  to  serve  one  of  those  sud- 
den emergencies  to  which  frontier  settlements  were  at  that  time 
subject.  July  22nd,  1834,  a meeting  of  qualified  voters  was  held,  at 
which  it  was  voted,  by  twelve  good  men  and  true,  that  it  would  be 
a rightful  and  proper  thing,  and  eminently  expedient,  to  incor- 
porate the  town  of  Chicago.  Only  one  man  cast  a negative  bal- 
lot. There  were  at  this  time  twenty-eight  legally  qualified  vo- 
ters in  the  settlement,  but  all  did  not  see  fit  to  exercise  their 
right.  The  election  for  Trustees  of  the  new  town  was  held  on 
the  10th  of  August  following,  and  five  were  chosen,  who  met  for 
the  first  time  on  August  12th,  at  the  office  of  the  town  clerk,  and 
organized  according  to  the  provisions  of  law.  The  territory  em- 
braced in  the  corporate  limits  comprised  only  about  one  mile 
square  of  the  prairie,  and  coincided  very  nearly  with  the  area  at 
present  bounded  by  Jackson,  Jefferson  and  Ohio  streets,  and 
Lake  Michigan,  recently  the  center  of  trade  and  wealth,  and,  most 
emphatically,  the  fiery  furnace  of  the  great  conflagration.  Nature 
pointed  it  out  as  the  “ business  center”  of  the  great  city,  and 
those  far-seeing  pioneers  were  apt  at  discovering  its  advantages 
and  profiting  by  them  ; and  we  need  scarcely  predict  an  event 
that  is  even  now  in  process  of  transpiring,  to  wit : That  after  the 
rehabilitation  of  Chicago,  this  original  mile  square  will  remain 
the  centre  of  trade  and  wealth  of  our  inland  metropolis.  A 
prominent  citizen  has  given  publicity  to  the  declaration  that  “ the 
center  of  trade  may  be  removed  to  any  point  where  five 
thoroughly,  wide-awake  men,  with  plenty  of  capital,  desire  to  es- 
tablish it but  we  doubt  this  statement,  provided  ten  “ thoroughly 
wide-awake  and  enterprising  men,  with  plenty  of  capital,”  are 
equally  desirous  of  establishing  it  in  a different  locality ; and,  in 
this  instance,  the  majority  of  business  men  and  capitalists  in  fa- 
vor of  the  old  established  center  is  more  than  ten  to  one. 

CESSION  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  NORTHERN  ILLINOIS  AND  WISCONSLN 
BY  THE  POTTAWATAMIE  TRIBE  OF  INDIANS. 

After  the  act  of  incorporation  had  been  legally  completed,  the 
town  began,  in  the  estimation  of  its  citizens,  to  become  invested 
with  additional  importance,  and  to  desire  the  respect  of  its 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


43 


contemporaries.  Its  denizens,  in  casting  about  for  their  real 
estate,  found  that  the  Indians,  still  dominant  hereabout,  were 
disposed  to  resent  the  spirit  of  aggrandizement  exhibited  by  the 
white  man  ; and  it  was  resolved  that  the  requirements  of  civili- 
zation demanded  of  our  dusky  brethem  that  they  find  new  hunt- 
ing grounds,  to  the  end  that  the  pale  face  might  be  permitted  to 
till  the  soil,  navigate  the  waters,  and  pursue  all  the  arts  of 
peace  for  his  own  special  behoof  and  emolument.  This  move- 
ment was  vigorously  opposed  by  a few  of  the  old  Indian 
traders  ; but  the  influence  of  leading  men  throughout  the  West 
was  brought  to  bear  in  its  favor,  and  after  many  proposals,  much 
caucusing  and  plenty  of  “ fire-water,”  the  question  was  settled 
by  the  cession  to  the  United  States  of  all  the  territory  in  north- 
ern Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  belonging  to  the  Pottowattamie 
tribe  of  Indians,  at  that  time  numbering  more  than  seven 
thousand  souls.  Messrs  J.  B.  Owens,  G.  B.  Porter,  and  Wm. 
Weatherford,  commissioners  on  the  part  of  the  United  States, 
displayed  remarkable  tact  and  ability  in  concluding  this  impor- 
tant and  perplexing  treaty,  which  extinguished  the  title  of  the 
treacherous,  aggressive  and  thieving  tribe,  in  an  immense  tract 
of  the  most  valuable  land  in  all  the  Northwest,  and  threw  it  open 
to  the  settlement  and  improvement  of  an  industrious  and  worthy 
class  of  emigrants.  The  conditions  of  the  treaty  were  that  the 
Indians  should  receive  an  annuity  of  $30,000,  and  that  they  should 
be  conveyed,  at  the  expense  of  the  government  to  the  territory 
beyond  the  Mississippi  which  had  been  allotted  to  their  use  and 
occupancy.  On  the  25th  of  September  the  treaty  was  duly  exe- 
cuted, and  on  the  1st  of  October  following,  so  prompt  was  the 
government  in  despatching  its  plans,  the  train  of  teams  conveying 
more  than  fifteen  hundred  squaws  and  papooses,  started  for  the 
destination  of  the  tribe,  and  consumed  forty  days  in  reaching  it. 
This  stupendous  exodus  of  the  red  men  and  their  families  is  des- 
cribed by  those  who  witnessed  it  as  a spectacle  of  inconceivable 
sadness.  They  were  bidding  an  everlasting  farewell  to  their 
homes  and  their  birthright ; to  the  land  where  they  had  tracked 
the  wild  beast  and  conquered  him ; to  the  waters  on  which  they 
were  accustomed  to  glide  in  their  birchen  canoes,  in  pursuit  of 
the  finny  game  ; to  the  scenes  of  their  boyhood  sports  and  bat- 
tle triumphs ; to  the  grounds  where  the  ashes  of  their  kindred  re- 
posed ; the  soil  sanctified  to  their  hearts  by  the  blood  of  a long 


44 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


line  of  heroic  ancestors,  whose  history  was  recorded  in  its  forests, 
prairies  and  streams ; — and  it  is  scarcely  strange  that  heart-pangs 
were  plainly  shadowed  in  the  lines  of  those  tawney  faces  as  they 
turned  toward  the  setting  sun  to  undertake  their  weary  march. 
Where  they  were  going  they  knew  not,  except  it  was  a far-off  lo- 
cality, where  they  would  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  white  man,  and 
removed  from  the  temptation  of  killing  him  as  a trespasser. 
The  Indian  of  history  is  depicted  as  a stoic.  He  must  be  a stoic 
indeed  to  endure,  unmoved,  the  sundering  of  the  dearest  ties  of 
the  human  heart ; and  these  Pottowattamie  braves  were  none  the 
less  objects  of  commisseration  because  they  suffered  and  made 
no  sign.  Although  such  agony  cannot  be  “ winked  out  of  sight,” 
they  knew — “how  sublime  a thing  it  is  to  suffer  and  be  strong.” 

COMMENCEMENT  OF  PROGRESS. 

With  the  Indians  away,  the  great  fear  of  emigrants  was  re- 
moved, and  people  from  the  eastern  States  flocked  rapidly  to  the 
Northwest,  not  a few  taking  up  their  abode  in  Chicago.  Among 
the  business  men  who  were  prominent  at  this  date  may  be  men- 
tioned, John  H.  Kinsic,  P.  F.  W.  Peck,  G.  W.  Dole,  S.  B.  Cobb. 
JohnS.  Wright,  Philip  Carpenter,  Walter  Kimball,  It.  M.  Sweet, 
John  Bates,  A.  Ctybourne,  Star  Foote,  E.  S.  Kimberly,  S.  D. 
Peirce,  K.  J.  Hamilton  and  B.  Jones,  several  of  whom  are  still 
among  us,  and  all  are  wrell  remembered  by  our  leading  citizens 
of  the  present. 

Eeal  estate,  in  the  form  of  both  “ in”  and  “out”  lots,  advanced 
rapidly  in  price  under  the  fresh  demand,  and  business  generally 
took  a new  departure.  The  great  increase  in  the  packing  of  beef 
and  pork  was  remarkable — Mr.  Clybourne  alone  packing  three 
thousand  hogs  and  six  hundred  beeves  in  the  winter  of  1834-5. 
This  is  a small  aggregate  from  our  present  standpoint,  of  course, 
but  taking  our  population  and  resources  at  that  time  into  the 
account,  it  is  wronderful.  The  valley  of  the  Wabash  supplied 
most  of  the  cattle  and  hogs  that  were  packed  here  for  several 
years,  and  still  remains  a great  source  of  supply  for  our  porkers. 

From  this  date  the  business  of  the  town  was  very  brisk,  and 
during  the  winter  it  seemed  difficult,  for  several  years,  to  find 
help  enough  to  transact  it  satisfactorily.  Beef,  pork  and  grain, 
from  all  the  new  settlements,  came  here  for  a market ; and  the 
furs  and  peltries,  from  the  far-off  hunting  grounds,  that  came,  in 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


45 


exchange  for  all  kinds  of  products,  the  lumber  and  other  articles, 
constantly  increasing  in  number  and  extent,  threatened  to  over- 
whelm the  force  employed  to  take  care  of  them.  Emigration 
from  the  over  crowded  states  of  the  east  and  from  foreign 
countries,  was  strongly  urged,  but  the  demand  for  labor  was  in 
excess  of  the  supply  for  many  years,  as  business  continued  to  ex- 
pand even  beyond  the  expectations  of  those  who  were  most  hope- 
ful of  the  prospects  of  the  town. 

GRANTING  OF  THE  CITY  CHARTER. 

On  the  4th  of  March,  1837,  the  city  charter  was  granted,  an 
event  that  was  hailed  by  great  rejoicings  of  the  people,  as  invest- 
ing them  with  power  to  inaugurate  and  execute  certain  improve- 
ments that  could  not  be  encompassed  under  the  town  organiza- 
tion. The  first  municipal  election  was  held  on  the  first  Tuesday 
in  May  of  the  same  year,  at  which  Hon.  Wm.  B.  Ogden  was  chosen 
mayor.  The  first  census  taken  in  the  following  July,  gave  a 
population  of  3,989  white  persons,  513  of  whom  were  under  five 
years  of  age  ; 77  colored ; and  194  sailors  belonging  to  the  port  of 
Chicago.  There  were  about  eight  hundred  voters,  but  the  poll 
books  indicated  that  only  707  voted  at  the  municipal  election. 
This  census  also  proved  that  there  wrere  398  dwellings,  29  dry 
goods  stores,  21  grocery  and  provision  stores,  5 hardware  stores, 
3 drug  stores,  10  hotels,  17  lawyers  offices,  and  5 churches. 
Most  of  this  population  was  the  result  of  three  years  emigra- 
tion, and  a large  majority  of  the  improvements  the  product  of 
three  years  of  laborious  industry.  The  year  1837  was  an  event- 
ful one  for  our  people.  It  was  this  year  that  Congress  made  an 
appropriation  of  $40,000  for  the  enlargement  and  improvement  of 
the  harbor,  and  this  year  that  the  first  cargo  of  wheat  was  shipped 
from  the  port.  These  events  were  big  with  future  promise,  and 
have  more  than  fulfilled  the  just  expectations  of  those  who  in- 
augurated them. 

RAPED  ADVANCES  IN  VALUATION  OF  PROPERTY. 

The  advance  in  real  estate,  that  commenced  to  attract  atten- 
tion throughout  the  country  as  early  as  1833,  lies  at  the  founda- 
tion of  most  of  the  wealth  of  Chicago  capitalists,  as  wTell  as 
of  many  capitalists  elsewhere.  This  advance  made  many  rich 
quite  unexpectedly,  and  even  contrary  to  their  anticipations. 
The  veteran  John  S.  Wright  says,  in  a note  to  his  “ Chicago  : 


I 


46  THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 

Past,  Present,  and  Future  “ Although  famous  for  the  sagacity 
of  its  citizens,  Chicago  is  not  without  those  who  have  made  for- 
tunes in  spite  of  themselves ; because  they  have  not  been  ad- 
dicted to  wasteful  benevolence,  and  have  happened  to  own  real 
estate  which  has  been  closely  held  from  natural  habit,  and  not 
from  any  appreciation  of  the  future.  One  of  these  millionaires, 
when  efforts  were  making  to  start  the  Galena  Railroad,  argued 
against  it,  because  railroads  wrould  stop  the  advent  of  the 
‘ prairie  schooners,’  500  to  1,500  teams  then  daily  arriving,  and 
with  their  stoppage  ‘ grass  would  grow  in  the  streets,’  was  his 
sagacious  declaration.  Another  one  thought  my  distribution  of 
petitions  for  the  grant  of  lands  for  the  Illinois  Central  Railroad 
was  impolitic.  Said  he. 

“ ‘ Why,  don’t  you  see  that  the  railroad  will  enable  farmers  to 
run  off  their  produce  to  Cairo,  while  the  river  and  canal  are  frozen, 
which,  if  kept  till  spring,  would  have  to  come  to  Chicago  ?’ 

“ I replied,  ’Don’t  you  see  that  that  gives  the  farmers  of  cen- 
tral Illinois  the  advantage  over  others  in  the  choice  of  markets  ? 
Whatever  the  course  of  the  carrying  trade,  you  may  risk  the 
prosperity  of  Chicago  upon  the  prosperity  of  the  farmers.’ 

“ This,  however,  is  the  very  place  for  such  men  to  make  for- 
tunes. If  they  will  only  invest  their  money,  berate  the  tax  gath- 
erer, and  never  give  anything — which  is  not  dangerous — they 
will  surely  become  rich  if  they  live  a few  years,  however  unwise 
their  purchases.” 

Mr.  Wright’s  reminiscences  are  peculiarly  valuable  in  this  con- 
nection, for  several  reasons.  1.  He  was  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Chicago,  having  emigrated  here  in  1832.  2.  He  invested  largely 
in  property  from  the  first,  and  had  a peculiar  interest  in  watch- 
ing the  fluctuations  of  prices.  3.  He  subsequently  invested 
largely  for  the  account  of  others,  and  enabled  them  to  become 
rich  on  the  results  of  his  excellent  judgment.  4.  He  has  spent 
the  best  years  of  his  life  investigating  the  philosophy  of  real  es- 
tate advances  in  Chicago,  and,  therefore,  “ speaks  as  one  with  au- 
thority.” We  find  his  work,*  above  referred  to,  more  authorita- 
tive on  the  subject  under  consideration,  and  more  exhaustive, 
than  any  publication  extant.  The  extent  to  which  we  have  used 
many  of  its  facts  and  figures  is  acknowledged  in  the  proper  place  ; 
but  we  cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  make  use  of  the  exhibit 

* Chicago  ; Past,  Present,  Future.  By  John  S.  Wright. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


47 


following,  as  detailing  the  experience  of  a shrewd  but  thoroughly 
concientious  “ operator,”  and  we  take  the  liberty  of  extracting  it 
from  Mr.  Wright’s  book  in  such  detatched  form  as  seems  to  us 
to  bear  most  directly  on  the  main  question.  He  says : 

“ In  1832,  at  the  age  of  17,  my  father  took  me  to  Chicago,  with 
a stock  of  merchandise.  The  town  then  contained  150  people, 
exclusive  of  the  garrison  ; two  frame  stores,  and  no  dwellings  ex- 
cept those  built  of  logs.  After  remaining  a few  weeks,  examin- 
ing the  country  south  and  west,  and  satisfying  himself  that  he 
had  made  the  right  location,  he  left  me  to  shift  for  myself. 
In  1834  he  removed  his  family  to  Chicago  and  lived  till  1840,  hav- 
ing his  first  convictions  strengthened  year  by  year  that  it  was  rap- 
idly to  become  one  of  the  largest  cities  of  the  country  and  of 
the  world. 

“ Though  a mere  boy,  I,  too, became  impressed  with  the  advan- 
tages of  the  point  which  was  the  western  extremity  of  the  great 
lake  navigation,  with  a certainty  of  its  connection,  by  canal, 
with  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  rivers,  and  which  was  the  nat- 
ural commercial  center  of  a country  so  fertile,  so  easily  tilled,  and 
so  vast  in  extent.  In  the  winter  of  1833-4  I induced  a wealthy 
uncle  to  take  some  purchases  which  I had  made,  expecting  to 
share  in  the  profits.  He  took  them,  and  has  made  out  of  those 
and  other  operations,  through  me,  several  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  but  all  the  benefit  to  me,  directly  or  indirectly,  has  been 
$100.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1835,  and,  the  next 
day  after  his  arrival,  said  if  I would  sell  his  lot — one  of  those 
which  I had  bought  about  fifteen  months  previously  for  $3,500 — 
for  $15,000,  he  would  give  me  orae  hundred  dollars . I sold  the  lot 
that  day  for  cash,  and  the  $100  was  reckoned  into  my  credit  in 
our  final  settlement  in  1838. 

******** 

“ No  one  could  have  then  anticipated  the  power  of  railroads  to 
build  up  great  commercial  points,  and  their  wonderful  multipli- 
cation, especially  from  Chicago.  These  have  not  only  expedited 
the  development  of  the  West,  but  concentrated  and  bound  to  its 
great  commercial  center  with  iron  bands  the  business  and  traffic 
which  at  great  cost  otherwise  would  still  have  come  here.  They 
have  served  to  fix,  beyond  all  peradventure,  what  some  might 
then  have  regarded  as  problematical : that  is,  which  city  in  the 
west  is  to  have  the  supremacy. 

“ In  1834, 1 began  to  operate  in  real  estate  on  my  own  account, 
and  in  February,  1835,  went  to  New  York  to  buy  merchandise, 
and  sold  for  $10,000,  a forty  acre  tract  which  had  cost  $4,000,  the 
profits  of  which  more  than  paid  for  all  my  other  purchases. 
Thereafter  increasing  my  operations  I sold  in  the  spring  of  1836, 
to  various  parties  in  New  York,  real  estate  for  over  $50,000,  re- 
ceiving about  two-thirds  of  the  pay  cash  in  hand,  and  giving 


48 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


my  individual  obligations  to  make  tlie  conveyance  when  I became 
of  age,  the  July  following.  My  father  would  have  been  my  heir, 
in  the  event  of  my  death,  and  they  knew  he  would  fulfil  my 
contracts. 

“ I had  then,  in  1836,  acquired  a property  of  over  $200,000, 
without  any  assistance,  even  from  my  father,  never  having  used 
his  money  for  any  operations,  the  store  being  his,  and  for  con- 
ducting it  only  my  expenses  were  paid.  My  uncle  was  the  only 
relative  who  could  have  aided  me,  and  he  never  would,  even  tem- 
porarily. So  far  from  it,  he  was  in  my  debt  continuously  from 
1834  to  our  final  settlement  in  1838. 

“But  1837  brought  ruin  to  me,  as  it  did  to  nearly  all  who  owed 
anything ; though  it  was  not  so  much  speculation  in  real  estate, 
as  engaging  in  mercantile  business,  that  involved  me.  At  that 
age  it  seemed  desirable  every  way  to  have  regular  occupation  to 
promote  good  habits,  and  in  accordance  with  my  father’s  wishes, 
I purchased,  in  1836,  a warehouse  and  dock  lots,  to  engage  in  the 
shipping  business,  which  cost  $23,500.  My  whole  indebtedness 
was  about  $25,000.  I had  nearly.  $20,000  due  me,  which  was 
supposed  to  be  well  secured,  it  being  chiefly  the  final  payments 
on  property  of  which  over  half  the  cost  had  been  paid.  To  pro- 
vide ample  means  for  business,  I sold  in  the  autumn  of  1836  a 
tract  adjoining  the  city  for  $50,000,  quick  pay.  This  trade  was 
unfortunately  broken  up  by  the  merest  accident,  and  thereafter 
I had  no  opportunity  to  sell  at  what  was  deemed  a fair  price.  I 
came  in  possession  of  the  warehouse  1st  of  May,  1837 ; and 
though  having  small  cash  resources,  I thought  best  to  commence 
business,  hoping  there  would  soon  be  a favorable  turn.  But  all 
went  down,  down,  and  I was  soon  inextricably  involved.  The 
money  used  to  buy  these  lots  for  business,  not  speculation,  would 
have  carried  me  through. 

“ In  1840,  my  property  had  all  gone ; one  piece  that  had  been 
worth  $100,000,  went  for  $6,000 ; another  that  had  been  worth 

$12,000,  went  for  $900,  and  so  on.” 

******** 

“ I resolved  in  some  way  to  get  a larger  interest  in  property 
here,  and,  in  the  autumn  of  1845,  went  to  New  York  to  try  and 
obtain  funds.  Having  leisure,  I wrote  a series  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
articles  for  the  Commercial  Advertiser  and  the  Evening  Post , 
about  the  various  agricultural  products  of  the  West,  their  profits, 
etc.,  the  minerals,  manufacturing  advantages,  the  canals,  railroads, 
that  would  be  built,  etc.,  but  not  till  the  subject  of  the  state  debt 
was  reached,  was  the  rapidity  of  progress  realized?  Illinois 
bonds  were  then  only  worth  25  to  30  cents  on  the  dollar,  and 
three  years  of  accrued  interest  not  reckoned,  so  prevalent  was  the 
impression  that  we  could  never  pay  the  state  debt ; and  such  a 
fearful  load  was  it  considered  that  immigration  here  was  consid- 
erably affected.  But  it  was  shown  fairly  and  conclusively,  th«4t 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


49 


by  1858  or  ’59,  our  state  would  pay  her  full  interest  without  any 
increase  in  the  then  rate  of  taxation  ; and  for  two  years  [written 
in  1860]  we  have  done  this,  and  our  bonds  are  above  par. 

“ No  prediction  gives  more  satisfaction  than  this.  Little  as 
the  public  were  influenced  by  these  views,  improbable  as  all 
then  regarded  them,  to  look  back  upon,  they  now  appear  plain 
common  sense,  just  such  as  any  business  man  who  would  study 
the  subject  ought  to  have  arrived  at. 

“ Though  no  one  could  see  the  future  of  the  West  and  of  Chi- 
cago as  I did,  my  own  confidence  had  never  been  so  strong. 
The  examination  incident  to  the  preparation  of  these  newspa- 
per articles  brought  more  clearly  to  view  than  ever  before  the 
abundant  resources  and  great  na'ural  advantages  of  the  im- 
mense territory  tributary  to  Chicago,  and  my  determination  was 
strengthened  to  buy  property  here. 

“ By  examination,  I found  Frederick  Bronson,  Esq.,  would 
sell  a block  on  long  credit  for  $30,000,  with  only  $1,000  paid 
down.  It  was  upon  the  river,  near  the  heart  of  the  city,  and 
somewhat  improved.  I made  prudent  estimates  of  its  present 
and  prospective  rental,  and  found  it  could  be  made  to  pay  for 
itself  with  a small  outlay.  But  I could  make  no  one  so  see  it. 
There  was  not  the  least  confidence  in  Chicago,  it  having  been 
for  ten  years  a synonym  for  all  that  was  wild  and  visionary. 
Mr.  Dyer,  of  Chicago,  also  had  commenced  prior  negotiations 
with  Mr.  Bronson,  and  not  wishing  to  interfere  with  him,  my 
endeavors  were  postponed  till  their  negotiations  should  be 
closed. 

“ I had  no  means  of  my  own  to  buy  with — could  get  no  one 
in  New  York  to  think  favorably  of  my  projects — knew  not  where 
else  to  apply,  and,  after  months  of  vain  attempts,  returned  home, 
having  purchased  nothing.  In  April,  1846,  Mr.  Bronson  sold 
this  block  to  Mr.  Dyer  for  the  $30,000.  A few  months  after  I 
bought  it  of  him  for  $37,500,  having  ninety  days  in  which  to  se- 
cure the  $7,500  advance,  and  the  $1,000  he  had  paid.  By  much 
solicitation  my  brothers  were  prevailed  upon  to  give  this  se- 
curity, and  the  Bronson  contract  was  assigned  to  me. 

“ I clung  to  this  block,  prefering  to  pay  this  large  advance, 
rather  than  buy  other  property,  because,  having  no  capital,  or 
means  of  raising  any,  it  was  necessary  to  get  such  as,  by  its  in- 
come, would  pay  for  itself.  I knew  this  would  do  it,  and  it  was 
the  only  piece  of  the  sort,  in  any  considerable  amount,  to  be 
found.  This  was  large  enough,  320  by  600  feet,  to  be  an  object, 
particularly  as  I was  confident  that  by  the  time  it  was  paid  for 
in  ten  years  it  would  be  worth  $200,000  and  over.  It  was  actu- 
ally worth  in  1856  over  $450,000. 

******** 

“ In  1846  the  best  lot  on  the  north  side,  80  feet  on  the  river  and 
North  Water  street,  and  180  feet  on  Clark,  a bridge  street,  was 


50 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


offered  for  $6,000,  and  for  years  I urged  friends  to  buy  it.  The 
owner  kept  advancing  his  price,  till  in  January,  1850,  I induced 
a couple  of  Virginia  friends  to  take  it  at  $9,000.  In  1856  that 
lot  was  worth  $110,000,  and  is  now  (1860)  worth  $700,000,  and  has 
all  the  time  yielded  a good  ground  rent. 

“But  these  purchases,  though  apparently  so  judicious  and 
profitable,  were  a heavy  load  to  me  and  my  brothers  for  years. 
I could  not  make  capitalists  see  through  my  spectacles,  and 
none  would  lend  me  the  aid  of  their  money.  The  widening  of 
the  river  cut  off  rents  largely  for  two  years,  and  the  excavations, 
building  of  docks,  warehouses,  etc.,  had  run  me  into  debt,  at 
two  to  five  per  cent,  a month,  and  a brother  was  an  endorser, 
greatly  against  his  will,  for  $15,000  to  $20,000.  In  the  spring 
of  1850  he  insisted  upon  relief,  and  having  our  affairs  disentan- 
gled, and  learning  the  Galena  Bailroad  would  buy  all  of  the 
blocks  for  a depot,  he  urged  its  sale.  He  had  acted  generously 
towards  me — few  brothers  would  have  done  as  much — and  his 
request  wras  reasonable,  notwithstanding  it  involved  such  a sac- 
rifice of  my  expectations.  The  block  first  bought  for  $37,500, 
was  sold  to  the  company  for  $60,000. 

******** 

* * * “In  the  investigations  incident  to  the 

writing  of  several  articles  for  New  York  and  Boston  papers,  in 
1848-9,  about  western  railroads,  laying  down  five  or  six  roads 
that  must  be  built,  I was  forcibly  struck  with  the  congruity  of 
interest  between  Chicago  and  the  cities  of  New  York  and  Bos- 
ton, in  bringing  business  to  the  lakes,  to  make  it  tributory  to 
those  cities  and  to  the  intermediate  routes.  I endeavored  to 
demonstrate  the  importance  of  extending  to  Chicago  the  east- 
ern lines  of  railroads,  and  thence  argued  that  when  once  they 
reached  here,  competition  would  insure  the  construction  of  all 
paying  roads.  Has  not  the  result  justified  these  predictions  ? 
True  it  is,  the  competition  and  railroad  mania  have  done  for  us 
much  more  than  was  anticipated,  but  was  it  not  a natural  result 
of  interest  that  eastern  capital  should  build  roads  from  here  as 
from  no  other  point  ? That  it  has  been  done  is  a fact,  and  I 
see  nothing  visionary  in  the  predictions.” 

All  the  above  extracts  were  included  in  a circular  issued  by 
Mr.  Wright  in  1860,  and  reproduced  in  his  excellent  book  pub- 
lished in  1868.  The  entire  circular,  and,  in  fact,  every  sentence 
of  the  book,  is  of  more  interest  to  the  people  of  Chicago,  and 
to  those  who  own  property  here,  than  any  other  equal  amount 
of  printed  matter  we  have  any  knowledge  of,  and  will  be  sought 
after  by  those  who  are  inclined  to  be  guided  by  judgment  that  is 
tempered  by  a long,  varied  and  instructive  experience.  It  is 
also  reproduced  as  a part  of  the  early  history  of  Chicago,  as 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


51 


reflected  in  tlie  business  life  of  one  of  its  representative  men, 
and  therefore  furnishing  a demonstration  of  the  persistence  and 
energy  that  worked  so  long  and  faithfully  to  encompass  the  pre- 
eminence of  the  great  metropolis  ot  the  northwest,  through  the 
exertions  of  all  who  actively  participated  in  the  work. 

To  the  general  advance  in  real  estate,  during  the  years  therein 
referred  to,  above  extracts  are  scarcely  a fair  index,  and  to  the 
advance  in  special  localities,  they  give  nothing  like  an  adequate 
idea ; but  their  chief  value  lies  in  their  truthfulness,  as  applied 
to  the  general  subject,  and  their  conservatism  from  a purely  busi- 
ness stand-point.  Regarding  instances  of  unprecedented  advance 
and  quick  fortunes,  there  were  several  somewhat  like  the  follow- 
ing: 

In  the  fall  of  1866,  a friend  of  the  writer,  an  attorney  of  large 
practice,  received  a letter  from  an  eastern  correspondent  inquir- 
ing as  to  the  location  and  value  of  a certain  eighty  acre  lot  ad- 
joining the  city,  and  requesting  him,  provided  that  in  his  opinion 
it  was  worth  $20,000  as  an  investment,  to  examine  the  recorded 
title  and  report  its  condition.  The  attorney  reported  the  title 
clear,  and,  to  give  emphasis  to  his  opinion  of  its  value,  added 
that  he  would  give  $20,000  for  a half  interest  in  it  as  a matter  of 
speculation,  provided  it  was  purchased  by  his  correspondent. 
It  had  remained  the  property  of  a family  in  New  England  about 
twenty-seven  years,  and  their  only  idea  of  its  value  was  probably 
gathered  from  what  it  was  rated  at  for  taxation ; and  when  they 
offered  it  for  $20,000,  it  was  doubtless  with  a slight  idea  that 
it  would  bring  this  sum.  It  did,  however,  but  not  with  the 
attorney  as  a party  in  interest.  In  a few  weeks  the  purchaser 
came  to  look  at  his  property,  and  had  been  in  the  city  but  one 
day  when  he  was  offered  $100,000  cash  for  it.  This  was  a sur- 
prise, but  next  day  $25,000  was  added  to  the  inducement.  He 
concluded  to  “ go  slow,”  and  therefore  made  an  investigation  of 
values  of  property  correspondingly  located.  The  result  was  as- 
tounding to  all  his  preconceived  notions  of  unproductive  real  es- 
tate, and  he  found  he  had  bought  a fortune  for  a very  small  sum. 
After  remaining  in  Chicago  about  fifteen  days,  he  closed  an 
agreement  by  which  he  received,  then  and  thereafter,  $278,000 
for  his  lot — a profit  of  more  than  a quarter  of  a million  of  dollars 
on  a sixty  day’s  investment  of  twenty  thousand ! Instances  like 
this  are  not  common,  even  in  the  annals  of  Chicago. 


; • - \ylA 

■ 


. ‘ 


■ 

■ 

' ; • ' ■ ' ' 

* 


• ■' 


. : - • - 


- ..  . "*  ; ■- 


' ’ 
• • 


HON.  R.  B.  MASON,  MAYOR  OF  CHICAGO.* 


PRESENT  HISTORY. 

A BRIEF  GLANCE  AT  SOME  SALIENT  POINTS  OF  CHICAGO’S  PEE* 

EMINENCE. 


The  previous  pages  are  designed  as  a glance  at  the  Chicago 
of  the  past,  and  do  not  treat  of  the  miraculous  advance  she 
made  in  the  last  decade  in  population,  wealth,  manufactures  and 
trade.  A retrospect  of  the  last  ten  years  of  her  history,  pro- 
perly detailed,  would  furnish  matter  for  a ponderous  volume,  and 
we  must  therefore  remain  content  with  a very  brief  reference  to 
the  most  salient  points  of  her  eminence.  At  the  head  of  the 
immense  artery  of  lake  and  river  navigation  of  the  country, 
with  her  web  of  railways  that  penetrates  the  whole  land,  even 
now  binding  the  Atlantic^  and  the  far  away  Pacific  in  its  iron 
bands,  her  facilities  and  opportunities,  in  spite  of  her  recent 
disaster,  seem  positively  unrivalled.  It  is  abundantly  demon- 
strated that  the  far  off  western  prairie,  even  among  the  remotest 
of  the  territories,  sends  its  products  here,  and  comes  here  for  its 
supplies,  as  well  as  the  vast  forests  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin  and 
Minnesota ; that  the  copper  and  iron  interests  of  the  lake  Su- 
perior country,  the  lead  mines  of  the  northwest,  the  coal  fields 
of  Illinois,  and,  to  a considerable  extent,  the  iron  ores  of  Mis- 
souri, all  find  here  their  best  and  most  natural  center.  Most  of 
the  millions  of  cattle  and  hogs  that  annually  fatten  in  the  great 
West,  find  their  way  to  the  slaughter  pens  of  this  city,  and 
thence  are  shipped  to  the  markets  of  the  world.  A greater 
share  of  all  the  mineral  and  agricultural  wealth  of  the  great 
West  turns  toward  Chicago  with  the  faithfulness  of  the  needle 
to  the  magnet.  Our  railway  system  is  the  most  perfect  and  far- 
reaching  in  the  world,  and  the  invincible  bulwark  of  our  pros- 
perity. Its  great  heart  lives  and  pulsates  here,  and  its  iron  ar- 
teries are  sentient  with  the  intelligent  and  sleepless  energy  of 
ten  millions  of  producers,  and  with  hundreds  of  millions  of  con- 
sumers, all  keeping  pace  in  the  triumphal  march  of  progress,  and 
paying  willing  tribute  to  the  ability  that  conceived  and  the  en- 
ergy that  has  erected  our  great  mart  of  commerce.  It  is  this 
admirable  railway  system  that  will  do  more  toward  rebuilding 


56 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


Chicago  than  all  other  agencies  combined,  for  it  represents  a 
capital  in  its  possessions  and  dependencies,  the  loss  of  which 
would  be  sufficient  to  bankrupt  a nation,  and  that  would  remain 
practically  dead  without  the  business  furnished  by  the  traffic  of 
this  city ; therefore  Chicago  must  be  restored  without  delay,  and 
rebuilt  so  thoroughly  that  a recurrence  of  the  great  disaster  is 
rendered  impossible.  It  is  out  of  the  question  for  any  railroad 
system  to  succeed  without  commercial  interests  to  feed  it,  and 
where  these  interests  are  small,  railroads  cannot  be  made  to  pay. 
It  is  an  invariable  rule,  however,  that  as  facilities  are  increased, 
business  will  enlarge.  Increasing  commercial  prosperity  always 
demands  an  increase  of  railroads,  and  as  railroads  are  multiplied, 
commerce  naturally  increases.  The  means  of  increasing  our 
commerce  are  incomputable  by  the  ordinary  intellect.  All  the 
vast  regions  of  uncultivated  lands  in  Illinois,  Iowa,  Wisconsin, 
Minnesota,  and  most  of  the  immense  undeveloped  tracts  lying 
west  of  the  Mississippi,  are  sources  upon  which  Chicago  will 
eventually  depend  to  accelerate  her  commercial  growth  and 
raise  her  to  empire  as  the  metropolis  of  the  richest  domain  the 
sun  shines  upon.  Neither  our  grain  nor  packing  interests  will 
be  materially  impeded  by  the  accidents  of  the  fire,  and  general 
business  has  already  resumed  its  accustomed  channels  and  is 
prosperous — with  population  and  business  so  alert  in  the  re- 
bound from  a fall  that  would  have  proven  an  overwhelming  dis- 
aster to  at  least  nineteen  of  every  twenty  cities  of  the  world,  and 
with  vital  interests  that  demand  the  utmost  energy  in  the  reha- 
bitation of  the  city  to  save  them,  it  is  not  an  astounding  predic- 
tion that  at  the  end  of  the  next  decade,  Chicago  will  have 
doubled  in  business,  population  and  wealth.  It  will  disappoint 
her  best  friends  if  she  does  not. 

Some  fears  are  expressed  that  real  estate  will  deteriorate  now, 
and  that  lots  in  the  burnt  district  will  be  less  valuable  than  be- 
fore the  fire,  for  a year  or  two  to  come.  Those  who  are  badly  in- 
volved, and  therefore  obliged  to  sell,  will  not  realize  as  much  for 
their  property  as  under  more  favorable  conditions,  but  prices 
generally  will  not  recede,  and  the  demand  will  soon  bring  about 
a material  advance  in  really  desirable  property ; for  strangers  are 
even  now  coming  here  to  invest  capital  and  engage  in  trade,  and 
this  influx  will  increase  more  rapidly  than  ever  before  in  our  his- 
tory when  the  world  is  convinced,  as  they  soon  will  be,  of  our 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


57 


ability  and  determination  to  recover  from  the  reverses  of  the  con- 
flagration. And  the  world  will  discover  then  when  we  have  sur- 
mounted the  temporary  inconveniences  occasioned  by  lack  of 
warehouses,  elevators,  shops  and  hotels  to  accommodate  our 
trade,  our  business  will  continue  to  increase  in  the  same  or  even 
a larger  ratio  than  that  which  made  us  famous  and  universally 
envied  previous  to  the  events  of  8th  and  9th  of  October,  1871,  of 
which  the  succeeding  pages  are  a faithful  and  unbiased  record. 


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VIEW  OF  THE  BURNT  DISTRICT. 


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A GENERAL  ACCOUNT 

OF  WHAT  THE  AUTHOR  SAW  AM)  HEARI , INCLUDING  HIS  PERSONAL  VIEW 
OF  THE  FIRE,  AND  MANY  THRILLING  INCIDENTS. 


All  intelligent  persons  that  witnessed  the  burning  of  Chicago 
are  prepared  to  testify  that  nothing  is  more  indescribable  than  a 
great  conflagration.  Nothing  is  more  bewildering,  exciting,  elec- 
trifying, astounding  and  weirdly  stupendous.  It  is  a spectacle 
that  forces  into  activity  all  the  emotions  of  the  heart,  but  be- 
numbs judgement  and  disconcerts  action.  Its  waves  and  barbed 
tongues,  rolling  and  darting  hither  and  thither,  spangled  with 
phosporic  tints,  and  gleaming  against  the  sky  like  a surging  sea  of 
flame,  lashing  the  shores  of  the  world,  and  seeking  to  overwhelm 
them ; or,  again,  roaring,  dancing,  and  frolicking  through  block 
after  block  of  elegant  structures,  warehouses,  residences  and 
factories,  sweeping  everything  in  its  torrid  pathway  with  the  rap- 
idity of  thought, 

“ As  though  the  lightnings  there  had  spent  their  shafts, 

And  left  the  fragments  glittering  on  the  field 

are  sights  that  petrify  the  intellect  and  strangle  reflection.  An- 
other aspect  of  the  freaks  of  the  insatiable  fire-fiend  was  calcula- 
ted to  impress  the  beholder  with  the  idea  that  all  the  magicians, 
sorcerers  and  performers  of  “ devil  tricks”  in  Glubdubdrib  had 
found  their  way  to  this  devoted  city,  and,  inspired  by  its  native 
spirit  of  excelling  in  everything  it  undertakes,  were  playing 
pranks  to  shame  the  very  imps  of  Hades.  And  so  the  panorama 
of  that  most  dreadful  night  of  Sunday  was  ever  changing,  ever 
stunning  with  some  new  and  unexpected  catastrophe,  melting 
with  its  tales  of  woe  and  benumbing  with  its  horrors. 

Of  all  the  thousands  of  incidents  that  are  indelibly  impressed 
upon  the  recollection  of  the  writer,  to  remain  there  while  life 
lasts,  and  probably  through  the  countless  ages  of  eternity,  there 
is  one  whose  details  are  painted  with  a distinctness  far  beyond 
artist’s  cunning,  and  that  stands  out  in  the  wide  waste  of  misery 
like  the  wreck  of  a noble  ship  on  a desert  shore.  Still,  it  would 
now  seem  “ like  the  baseless  fabric  of  a vision,”  were  it  not  that 
the  evidences  of  its  reality  are  only  too  tangible,  and  constantly 
before  the  eyes  of  every  denizen  of  the  city  that  is  disposed  to 
6ee  them. 


62  THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 

It  was  near  day-liglit  on  Monday  morning,  the  9th  of  October, 
that  passing  along  Lake  street,  we  discovered  an  aged  citizen, 
whose  reputation  for  wealth,  integrity  and  remarkable  business 
capacity  is  well  knowm  throughout  the  land,  hatless,  coatless,  his 
teeth  chattering  and  his  snowy  locks  tossed  by  the  wind,  gazing 
with  tear-bedimmed  eyes  at  his  large  warehouse  immediately  op- 
posite the  place  where  he  stood,  but  which  the  flames  had  not 
attacked. 

“ Do  you  think  the  fire  will  reach  my  place  ?”  he  asked,  as  we 
took  him  by  the  hand. 

The  flames  were  raging  within  a block  of  his  place,  and,  by 
taking  a careful  view  of  the  probabilities,  it  appeared  that  we 
would  not  have  long  to  wait  for  the  wreck  of  this  apparently  sub- 
stantial monument  to  his  affluence. 

We  expressed  a hope,  scarcely  felt,  that  it  would  not,  and 
made  a movement  to  hurry  along,  when  he  said,  imploringly. 

“ Stay  with  me  a little  while.  I have  had  some  bad  luck.  My 
house  and  everything  it  contained  is  destroyed,  and  I must  try 
to  save  the  store.” 

“ Have  you  saved  your  books  and  papers  ?”  we  asked. 

“ They  are  in  the  vault,  and  could  not  be  safer  anywhere.  Do 
you  think  there  will  be  occasion  to  remove  any  of  the  goods  ?” 

“ Where  could  you  put  them  ?” 

“ On  the  pavement  here.  There  is  no  other  place.” 

“ It  would  not  save  them.  They  would  be  stolen  o'  burned. 
Let  us  hope  the  fire  will  not  reach  you.” 

We  knew  it  was  utterly  vain  to  hope,  but  what  could  be  said 
or  done  under  the  circumstances  ? It  was  equally  certain  that 
we  could  render  no  assistance  by  remaining  there,  but  it  seemed 
cruel  to  leave  our  old  friend  in  his  helplessness.  We  talked 
to  him  very  much  as  one  would  address  a child  standing  in 
fear  of  some  threatening  injury  to  its  toys,  and  he  seemed 
to  appreciate  the  attention.  The  fire  wns  speeding  in  our 
direction,  roaring,  surging  and  leaping  in  very  madness, 
bearing  down  everything  before  it  in  crash  after  crash  of  ruin, 
from  which  each  reverberation  was  like  commingling  of  wails 
and  groans  for  the  loss  of  homes,  and  lives,  and  wealth,  and  the 
violent  rupture  of  a great  city’s  throbbing  heart ! The  shrieks 
and  moans  of  the  hurricane  were  terrific,  and  doubly  so  from 
their  weird  and  unearthly  prolongation,  until  they  forced  an 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


63 


echo  from  some  point  miles  away  across  the  foaming  waters  of 
the  lake,  that  came  back  to  ns  like  the  exultant  laugh  of  ten 
thousand  fiends.  The  monarchs  of  Storm  and  Flame  were  hold- 
ing their  highest  revels  in  concert,  and  no  human  agency  could 
bar  their  advance.. 

It  appeared  from  our  position  that  the  flames  were  still  more 
than  half  a square  away,  when  suddenly  a bright  shaft,  like  lava 
at  a white  heat,  shot  skyward  from  the  buildings  on  the  oppo- 
site side,  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  write  it,  our  old 
friend’s  business  house  and  merchandise  were  seething  in  the 
superheated  cauldron  of  the  great  conflagration.  It  was  a mir- 
acle, and  little  wonder,  that  he  stood  motionless,  with  both  hands 
raised  aloft,  his  tearless  eyes  almost  bursting  from  their  sockets, 
and  the  contortions  of  his  features  indicating  a degree  of  agony 
that  words  can  never  paint.  It  seemed  as  inexplicable  as  a 
thunderbolt  from  a cloudless  summer  sky,  and  was  certainly 
quite  as  startling.  The  terrible  heat  and  the  flaming  embers 
drifting  down  upon  us  rendered  our  position  extremely  critical ; 
but  the  old  gentleman  refused  to  move.  The  loss  of  his  sub- 
stance was  the  crowning  misery,  and  the  last  terror  of  the  ca- 
lamity for  him  had  passed.  As  entreaty  availed  nothing,  he  was 
at  last  borne  away  by  gentle  force  to  a place  of  refuge. 

There  was  a strange  commotion  in  his  brain,  and  the  light  in 
his  eyes  appeared  of  more  than  earthly  brightness,  painful  to 
look  upon,  and  giving  him  a strange  aspect  to  even  his  most  in- 
timate acquaintances.  He  was  left  in  charge  of  a brotherhood 
whose  charities  are  indiscriminate  as  the  dew  and  illimitable  as 
the  globe  we  inhabit ; and  he  could  not  have  had  kinder  care 
nor  more  assiduous  attention  from  those  of  his  own  blood.  Two 
days  thereafter  we  saw  him  again.  Twenty-five  years  of  toil 
could  not  have  added  more  to  the  infirmity  of  his  appearance 
than  was  wrought  in  those  forty-eight  hours.  At  the  first  greet- 
ing his  mind  recurred  to  the  scenes  of  Monday  morning,  and  he 
commanded,  in  a piping  voice. 

“ Save  the  store  at  all  hazards.  Blow  up  every  building  for 
ten  sqnares  on  all  sides,  and  do  it  thoroughly.  The  store  must 
b@  saved.  Hah  ! there’s  the  fire  now.  Where  did  it  come  from  ? 
Why  didn’t  you  blow  up  those  buildings?  Then  he  com- 
menced lamenting : “ All  gone — the  labor  of  a life-time  ends  in 

smoke.  It  is  a hard  fate,  for  nothing  can  be  more  certain  than 


64 


THROUGH  TnE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


that  I and  my  family  are  beggars d d beggars ! We 

must  go  to  the  poor  house  or  starve.” 

We  tried  to  console  him,  but  in  vain.  He  soon  became  sul- 
lenly uncommunicative,  and  in  a few  moments  sprang  to  his  feet 
with  a sudden  start,  and  strode  up  and  down  the  room  at  so  ra- 
pid a pace  that  ere  long  he  was  covered  with  perspiration,  and 
breathing  like  one  almost  exhausted.  No  entreaty  could  pre- 
vail upon  him  to  desist  from  this  violent  exercise ; but  finally  he 
commenced  biting  his  lips,  and  soon  large  drops  of  blood  and 
froth  were  falling  from  his  white  beard  to  the  floor.  He  was 
suddenly  bereft  of  articulation ; tried  to  speak,  but  could  not. 
Then  his  gestures  and  the  contortions  of  his  countenance  were 
hideous  to  behold,  and  it  appeared  that  death  must  end  his  suf- 
ferings in  a short  space,  unless  means  of  relief  were  devised. 
He  continued  to  stride  up  and  down  the  room,  but  with  a reel- 
ing gait,  and  sudden,  momentary  stops,  striking  his  forehead 
with  clenched  fist,  beating  his  breast,  and  clawing  the  air  like  a 
blind  man  in  a desert. 

“ He  must  be  quieted,”  remarked  good  Dr.  H , who  had 

been  untiring  in  his  attentions  on  the  stricken  man.  “ How  to 
do  it  is  beyond  my  comprehension,  but  we  must  manage  it  in 
some  way,  or  put  him  in  a straight  jacket.” 

“Is  the  case  so  bad  as  to  require  such  a measure?”  we 
asked. 

“ One  of  the  worst  I ever  saw.” 

At  this  juncture  the  old  bookkeeper  of  our  aged  friend  en- 
tered the  room  and  gleefully  exclaimed. 

“ Our  insurance  is  all  right.  We  will  get  every  dollar  of  it.” 

The  old  merchant  turned  and  stared  at  him  for  a moment, 
then  a smile  of  recognition  passed  over  his  features,  and  to  our 
utter  surprise,  he  inquired. 

“ Eh,  J , ? what’s  wanted  now  ? Anything  the  matter  ?” 

“ I came  to  tell  you  the  insurance  is  all  good.  It  will  all  be 
paid,” 

“We  had  $40,000  on  the  stock,”  mused  our  friend. 

“ It  was  $50,000,”  said  J . “ Don’t  you  remember  telling 

me  to  take  out  an  additional  policy  for  $10,000,  more  than  a 
month  ago,  when  the  new  stock  commenced  arriving  ?” 

“Yes.” 

“ Then  there’s  $45,000  on  the  building.” 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


65 


“Yes” 

“ And  $27,500  on  your  house  and  furniture.” 

“Making , how  much  does  it  all  make,  J ? I’m  not 

apt  at  figures  to-day.” 

“ The  whole  amount  is  $122,500,” 

“Just  so.  And  that  is  all  we  have  left.  It  will  scarcely 
cover  wrhat  we  owe.” 

“We  don’t  owe  the  half  of  it,  sir ; and  then  we  have  three 
times  as  much  due  us  as  we  owe  altogether,  and  every  dollar  of 
it  good.” 

“ But  the  notes  and  books  are  gone.” 

“ Oh,  no ; they  are  all  safe.  We  have  opened  the  vault  and 
found  everything  sufficiently  preserved  to  answer  the  purpose  of 
settlement ; and,  unless  I greatly  miscalculate,  we  have  at  least 
a quarter  million  left  to  resume  business  on.” 

“ Is  this  all  true  ?” 

“ Every  word  of  it,  sir.” 

Such  information  was  medicine  to  the  diseased  intellect,  and 
the  merchant  looked  around  into  the  faces  of  attendants  and 
visitors  as  though  just  awaking  from  a terrible  nightmare.  He 
had  forgotten  insurance,  debtors,  everything  but  the  fact  that 
the  material  evidence  of  his  wealth  had  vanished,  and  therefore 
his  mind  had  followed  it  away  into  the  strange  oblivion  that 
swallows  up  so  much  of  the  wealth,  happiness  and  intellect  of 
this  strangely  chequered  life ; but  the  information  that  he  was 
not  pecuniarily  ruined,  reanimated  that  wandering  mind,  when  it 
was  shut  and  barred  to  all  other  intelligence,  and  the  estimable 
old  gentleman  recovered  his  health  and  much  of  his  former  ap- 
pearance within  the  next  ten  days,  and  has  now  resumed  busi- 
ness in  as  good  credit  as  ever.  This  incident  was  almost  a tra- 
gedy, and  very  tragic  up  to  the  turning  point.  Its  most  valuable 
lesson  points  to  those  precautions  against  utter  loss  that  every 
thorough  business  man  avails  himself  of,  and  which,  in  times  of 
disaster,  are  always  sure  to  save  him  something  as  a foundation 
for  a fresh  start  in  his  trade  or  profession.  There  is  still  another 
lesson,  which  inculcates  the  rule,  that,  at  the  worst,  affairs  are 
never  as  bad  as  they  seem,  and  that  a calm  review  will  always 
demonstrate  the  truth  of  this  principle.  The  account  is  less  sad 
than  a different  termination  would  have  rendered  it,  but  no 
other  result  could  have  impressed  it  more  indelibly  upon  the 
mind  of  the  writer. 


66 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


Tlie  detailed  history  of  the  Chicago  fire  will  never  be  written, 
because  there  is  an  almost  inconceivable  mass  of  details  that 
can  never  be  gathered — many  that  can  never  be  known,  because 
their  principal  actors  fell  before  the  advance  of  the  enemy  they 
were  striving  to  repulse — and  even  if  all  could  be  readily  ob- 
tained, their  voluminousness  would  prevent  publication  in  any 
but  a book  of  the  most  extraordinary  size.  It  is  well  under- 
stood that  the  first  fire,  on  Saturday  evening,  the  7th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1871,  would  have  become  historical  as  “ the  great  Chicago 
fire,”  had  the  calamity  stopped  with  its  extinction ; for  it  burned 
over  more  than  twenty  acres  of  a densely  settled  portion  of  the 
city,  including  many  warehouses,  residences  and  factories  ; and 
its  losses  were  summed  up  in  an  aggregate  quite  appalling  to  the 
insurance  companies  throughout  the  country.  The  fire  of  the 
following  night  was  the  Jormungundar  that  encompassed  al- 
most three  quarters  (in  money  value)  of  the  city,  and  crushed  it 
in  its  incandescent  embrace.  And  it  was  the  calamity  that  to- 
day stands  out  on  the  historic  page  as  the  severest  that  ever  be- 
fell a people  through  the  ravages  of  the  fiery  element — there- 
fore the  point  upon  which  this  narration  inevitably  challenges 
the  attention  of  the  reader. 

It  was  about  ten  o’clock  of  Sunday  night,  October  8,  1871, 
that  an  ominous  alarm  rang  out  upon  the  devoted  city  from  the 
great  bell  of  the  Court-House,  booming  far  above  the  shrill  whis- 
tle of  the  angry  gale,  now  fast  increasing  to  a hurricane,  and  ad- 
monishing our  citizens  of  more  than  ordinary  danger,  in  the 
doubly  destructive  combination  of  wind  and  flame.  The  bell 
continued,  at  short  intervals,  to  toll  the  deep-toned  notes  of  dan- 
ger, which,  borne  afar  upon  the  angry  blast,  struck  consternation 
to  every  heart  that  realized  the  peril  of  a fire  under  the  condi- 
tions of  the  city  at  that  date,  urged  on  by  blustering  Libycus. 
Hundreds  with  whom  the  writer  has  since  conversed  felt  strange 
premonitions  of  disaster — mysterious  feelings,  creepings  of  the 
flesh  and  a great  change  in  the  vital  circulation — as  the  notes  of 
alarm  continued ; and  it  is  probable  that  many  other  hundreds 
were  similarly  affected.  It  was  really  the  portent  of  doom  to 
many  brave  hearts,  of  a sort,  akin,  to  that  which  is  described  in 
the  following  lines  of  Dry  den : 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


67 


•‘A  kind  of  weight  hangs  heavy  at  my  heart; 

My  flagging  soul  flies  under  her  own  pitch, 

Like  fowl  in  air,  too  damp,  and  lugs  along, 

As  if  she  wore  a body  in  a body, 

And  not  a mounting  substance  made  of  fire. 

My  senses  too  are  dull  and  stupified, 

Their  edge  rebated ; sure  some  ill  approaches. 

And  some  kind  spirit  knocks  softly  at  my  soul, 

To  tell  me  fate's  at  hand.” 

When  the  general  alarm  sounded,  and  all  the  steamers  flew 
through  the  streets,  prolonging  the  boom  of  the  bell  in  shrill 
shrieks,  thousands  of  citizens  rushed  out  to  learn  the  location 
and  progress  of  the  conflagration.  Most  of  the  buildings  in  De- 
koven  and  Taylor  streets  were  already  destroyed,  and  the  great 
tongues  of  flame  were  licking  up  the  wooden  structures  in  that 
part  of  the  city  as  though  they  were  the  merest  tinder  boxes, 
leaving  no  trace  of  their  form  or  material  to  mark  the  place  where 
they  stood,  but  a moment  before.  The  crackling  of  the  fire 
among  the  dry  lumber  resembled  the  regular  discharge  of  mus- 
ketry by  an  army  corps  in  retreat ; but  there  were  still  worse  evi- 
dences of  panic  than  are  usually  displayed  by  a routed  army, 
in  the  hundreds  of  people,  men,  women  and  children,  already 
fleeing  to  a place  of  safety,  and  bearing  upon  their  shoulders  such 
articles  of  household  use  as  seemed  to  them  valuable  at  the  mo- 
ment. They  were  utterly  demoralized,  and  mingled  screams  of 
agony,  shouts  of  alarm,  prayers  and  imprecations,  with  occa- 
sional blows  right  and  left,  in  a jangling  noise  of  words  unknown, 
and  gabble  without  meaning.  Eyes  blind  with  blood,  and  fea- 
tures wildly  distorted  with  terror,  people  unclad,  half-clad,  some 
wrapped  in  bed-clothing,  women  dressed  in  the  apparel  of  the 
opposite  sex,  and  some  protected  only  by  their  night-wrappers, 
carrying  beds,  babies,  tables,  tubs,  carpets,  crockery,  cradles, 
almost  every  conceivable  thing  of  household  use,  formed  the 
most  noticeable  features  of  this  terrific  route.  An  aged  dame,  with 
a dog  under  one  arm  and  a large  mirror  across  the  opposite 
shoulder,  was  apparently  impressed  with  the  belief  that  she  had 
saved  the  better  part  of  her  fortune,  and  marched  forward  with 
a smile  of  satisfaction  illuminating  her  grim  physiognomy.  An 
Irishman  attempting  to  drive  a pig  of  a remarkably  piggish  dis- 
position, found  he  had  taken  a contract  too  great  for  his  ability, 
and  as  the  porcine  quadruped  at  length  eluded  his  pursuer,  and 
fled  back  toward  the  flames  at  a tremendous  lope,  the  porcine 
biped  exclaimed  with  an  inadmissable  adjective: 


68 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


“ To  hell  wid  ye,  ye  spalpeen ; — ye’s  poor  pruperty  onyways.” 

A man  carrying  a bed  and  leading  a goat  met  with  even  worse 
luck.  A horse-cart,  evidently  driven  by  a mad-man,  came  rat- 
tling through  the  crowd  at  breakneck  speed,  and  the  goat,  docile 
enough  before,  was  panic-struck  at  the  noise  and  unusual  com- 
motion, and  braced  himself  to  pull  away.  The  man  laid  his  bed 
on  the  ground  to  have  the  use  of  both  hands  in  managing  the 
goat,  but  he  was  too  slow.  One  wheel  of  the  horse-cart  cut  the 
goat  in  twain,  and  the  other  struck,  tore  and  tossed  the  bed,  and 
scattered  it  to  the  winds  in  a shower  of  feathers. 

A drunken  brute  came  swaggering  along  with  a delicate,  well- 
dressed  little  girl  in  his  arms.  The  child  was  crying  bitterly,  and 
appeared  anxious  to  escape  from  her  custodian,  who  addressed 
her  with  oaths  and  threats. 

“Whose  child  is  that?'*  inquired  a citizen. 

“ Mine,”  replied  the  ruffian,  and  he  attempted  to  hurry  along, 

“Not  so  fast,”  said  his  interlocutor,  detaining  him.  “Is  this 
man  your  father,  little  girl?” 

“ No  sir ; he’s  a bad  man,  carrying  me  away  from  ma,”  said  the 
child. 

The  scoundrel  raised  her  aloft  and  dashed  her  from  him  with 
such  force  that  she  would  have  been  killed  instantly  had  she 
struck  the  ground  ; but  fortunately  she  w7as  caught  in  the  arms 
of  a gentleman  who  had  stopped  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  dis- 
pute, and  who  proved  to  be  a friend  of  her  parents  and  glad  to 
take  charge  of  her  as  a temporary  protector.  The  kidnapper 
was  summarily  sobered  by  half  a dozen  blows  well  administered 
by  a sturdy  fist,  which  was  the  only  means  of  punishment  at 
hand,  but  had  he  ornamented  the  nearest  lamp-post,  with  a rope 
about  his  neck,  justice  would  have  been  better  satisfied. 

These  incidents  are  related  merely  to  show  the  general  char- 
acter of  the  panic,  and  the  nature  of  the  flight,  and  not  for  their 
intrinsic  importance.  The  picture  as  a whole,  treated  by  a Ho- 
garthian  pencil,  or  described  by  a Dante, might  be  readiJy  accepted 
as  a “ Grand  march  through  hell,  of  the  legions  of  the  powers  of 
darkness.” 

Meanwhile,  the  flames  were  keeping  even  pace  with  the  terrible 
gale,  and  spreading  fearfully.  The  efforts  of  the  firemen  to  stay 
their  progress,  although  apparently  well  directed,  were  futile 
It  was  the  remark  of  one  of  them  that  they  might  as  well  have 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


69 


pumped  oil  as  water  upon  the  burning  mass,  for  the  water  ap- 
peared to  burn  like  some  intensely  inflamable  liquid,  and  certainly 
had  no  effect  in  extinguishing  flame.  Another  declared  that 
three  feet  from  the  nozzle  the  stream  was  broken  and  scattered 
in  spray  like  a heavy  dew,  or  the  foam  on  the  crest  of  a dividing 
wave,  and  of  course  utterly  ineffective  to  stay  the  spreading  of 
the  Are.  So  the  fearful  pyrotechnic  wall,  seething  with  the 
power  of  an  inborn,  indescribable  calidity,  and  towering  sky- 
ward more  than  a hundred  feet,  came  rumbling  down  to  the 
banks  of  the  river,  near  Twelfth  street,  and,  at  a single  bound 
crossed  over  to  destroy  the  heart  of  Chicago’s  business  life.  The 
firemen  were  now  completely  exhausted,  and  there  were  none  to 
dispute  the  advance  of  the  destructive  element,  that  extended  its 
Briarean  tongues  and  arms  in  every  direction.  With  the  people, 
it  was  a race  for  life,  and  the  stampede  that  now  commenced 
will  live  in  the  recollection  of  those  who  witnessed  it  as  long  as 
time  shall  last.  The  inclemency  of  the  night  had  increased,  and 
the  temperature  was  of  that  disagreeable,  penetrating  sort  that 
searches  the  very  marrow  and  chills  it  to  torpidity. 

Libycus  was  still  in  the  ascendant,  and  so  the  fire  struck  out, 
in  obedience  to  his  prompting,  for  the  northeast,  where  its  ap- 
proaches were  most  to  be  dreaded.  People  were  now  driven 
from  elegant  residences,  from  comfortably  furnished  rooms  on 
the  upper  floors  of  business  houses,  from  hotels,  cottages  and 
janitors’  lofts,  and  all  at  once  the  streets  were  swarming  with  an 
excited  mass  of  humanity,  of  all  ages,  colors  and  conditions.  If 
the  crowd  was  less  motley  than  the  first  described,  it  was  quite 
as  varied  in  nationality,  and  no  less  noteworthy  on  account  of 
the  “impediments”  with  which  it  burdened  itself.  Men  stagger- 
ing under  large  trunks,  immense  bundles,  even  bureaus,  seemed 
inextricably  mingled  with  express  wagons,  carts,  wheelbarrows, 
trucks,  drays  and  buggies,  with  which  the  streets  were  filled,  all 
overloaded  with  goods  and  furniture,  and  making  their  best 
speed  to  escape  the  approacliing  destruction.  Mothers  slightly 
enrobed,  and  carrying  tender  babes,  were  crying  bitterly,  while 
others  cherished  their  young  at  their  panting  breasts  and  were 
silent  in  their  overpowering  agony.  Little  children,  unattended, 
many  in  their  night-dresses,  bare-footed,  bare-limbed,  heads  un- 
covered, ran  about  in  utter  distraction,  crying  for  parents  or 
nurses  ; and  even  the  poor  dogs  added  their  howls  and  cries  to 


70 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


the  general  dismay,  making  that  night  of  doom  still  more  hideous 
and  appalling.  Still  the  colossal  besom  of  that  holocaust  swept 
down  toward  them  with  terrific  speed,  presenting  the  appearance 
of  a great  wall  of  glowing  brass,  and  increasing  its  altitude  as  it 
devoured  block  after  block  of  towering  edifices.  Many  a man 
and  woman  sank  to  the  earth  in  sore  affright,  many  from  utter 
exhaustion,  and  probably  a few  from  hopelessness  of  their  ability 
to  escape  the  impending  catastrophe.  Some  were  recovered  by 
friends,  and  others  remained  and  met  a fate  too  ghastly  for  con- 
templation. 

Away  sped  the  crowd,  afar  off  to  the  bleak  prairie,  to  the  lake 
shore,  to  parks,  cemetaries,  any  where  remote  from  combusti- 
ble material,  and  out  of  the  way  of  the  blinding  storm  of  sparks, 
embers  and  smoke.  The  streets  were  constantly  filled  by  rein- 
forcements to  the  mad  chase,  and  frequently  so  tightly  wedged 
by  the  great  mass  of  humanity  that  the  weak  were  trampled, 
bruised,  and  some  probably  killed  outright.  Persons  conveying 
valuables  were  ruthlessly  despoiled  of  them,  pockets  were  picked, 
and  one  gentleman  reported  that  liis  coat  was  stripped  from  his 
back  in  the  very  thickest  of  the  crowd,  and  taken  away,  as  by 
some  invisible  hand,  before  he  could  discover  the  perpetrator  of 
the  outrage.  Even  women  and  children  were  robbed  of  shawls, 
cloaks  and  trinkets,  and  outrageously  abused  by  the  mob  of 
thieves  and  roughs  that  now  came,  like  so  many  vultures,  for 
their  prey. 

Well  authenticated  instances  of  remarkable  hair-breath  es- 
capes are  sufficiently  numerous  and  interesting  to  form  an  at- 
tractive book  by  themselves,  full  of  startling  details  and  semi- 
tragic  catastrophes  ; but  real  tragedies  are  scarcely  less  plenti- 
ful, and  probably  deserve  precedence  in  the  record,  but  we  must 
be  permitted  to  intermingle  them  to  some  extent,-  for  the  pur- 
pose of  avoiding  monotomy. 

At  the  intersection  of  Randolph  and  Market  streets  stood  a 
large  building,  rented  in  separate  rooms  and  suits  for  offices. 
On  the  fourth  floor  lived  the  janitor  with  his  wife  and  four 
children,  and  an  orphan  niece,  Marie.  When  the  flames  reached 
the  building  the  family  rushed  out  upon  the  roof,  but  all  escape 
was  cut  off.  The  mother  sank  down,  with  the  babe  in  her  arms, 
smothered  by  a blinding  cloud  of  smoke  and  flame,  and  expired. 
The  father  stood  up  strong  and  resolute,  lifted  the  little  boy  of 


SCENE  ON  THE  ROOF  OF  CAFLAIN’S  BUILDING  WHERE  THE  JANITOR  AND  HIS  FAMILY  PERISH 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


73 


four  years  to  his  shoulder,  placed  a protecting  arm  about  his  two 
little  daughters,  and  strove  to  find  his  way  to  an  neighboring 
roof,  from  which  a stairway  descended.  His  efforts  were  vain. 
The  little  girls  ran  back  and  fell  beside  the  mother.  Then  a 
great  cry  of  anguish  went  up  from  the  father’s  heart,  and  even 
above  the  roar  of  gale  and  flame  his  voice  was  heard  by  the 
people  below,  and  piteous,  helpless  hands  reached  out  in  futile 
sympathy,  as  if  to  help  him,  Then  through  the  smoke  and 
flame,  to  the  very  edge  of  the  building,  the  poor  man  rushed, 
and  for  a moment  lifting  eyes  and  hands  toward  heaven  as  if  in 
silent  prayer,  he  sprang  out  from  the  burning  roof  and  came 
downward.  The  awe-struck  people  gazed  upon  a shapeless 
mass  on  the  pavement,  which  for  a moment  appeared  very  still 
and  lifeless,  and  then  a bright  little  head  showed  itself,  and  a 
child’s  voice  cried  out. 

“You  hurt  my  w’ist,  papa.  Lif’  you  head  up — dat  a dood  papa.” 

The  father  was  dead,  but  the  child  only  slightly  bruised,  and 
is  now  well  and  well  cared  for. 

At  the  corner  of  Clark  and  Washington  streets,  in  a window  of 
a third  floor  room,  a man  stood  serenely  watching  the  general 
devastation,  while  the  roof  over  his  head  was  on  fire.  People 
shouted  themselves  hoarse  to  call  his  attention  to  the  impending 
danger,  but  he  merely  smiled  without  moving.  “ He’s  crazy,” 
said  one ; “ drunk,”  said  another ; but  he  appeared  both  sane 
and  sober,  and  was  probably  inclined  to  tempt  fate  a little,  and 
save  himself  at  the  last  moment.  He  waited  too  long.  The  heavy 
roof  came  crashing  down  through  the  floors,  and  he  was  inextri- 
cably buried  in  a heap  of  burning  timber  that  landed  in  the  base- 
ment, a perfect  mass  of  glowing  embers,  within  three  minutes 
from  the  time  the  the  roof  gave  way. 

In  one  of  the  larger  buildings  on  Randolph  street,  a portion  of 
the  upper  floors  of  which  were  used  for  lodging  rooms,  men  were 
seen  dodging  about  from  window  to  window,  the  untold  agony 
depicted  on  their  features,  after  the  basement  and  first  floor  had 
became  like  “ a furnace  seven  times  heated.”  Two  were  rescued 
at  great  risk  before  the  walls  began  to  totter,  but  just  as  it  began 
to  seem  possible  to  those  outside  that  all  might  be  saved,  the 
huge  walls  swayed  to  and  fro,  and  came  down  so  heavily  that 
they  smothered  the  flames  they  had  fed  but  a moment  before, 
and  buried  several  lives  in  the  smouldering  debris. 


74 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


A young  man  named  George  Armstrong,  a fireman,  had  been 
hard  at  work  through  many  weary  hours  down  town,  when  some- 
how word  came  to  him  that  the  fire  was  sweeping  along  Ran- 
dolph street  at  a rapid  rate.  His  home  was  on  that  great 
thoroughfare.  His  pretty  wife  had  held  up  their  wee  baby  to  kiss 
him  for  the  first  time  that  morning.  He  sprang  away  like  a deer, 
spite  of  his  weariness,  for  he  must  know  at  once  that  his  loved 
ones  were  safe.  Reaching  the  spot,  he  saw  his  wife,  Jennie,  at 
the  window  with  the  babe  in  her  arms.  The  fire  had  reached 
the  lower  part  of  the  building  and  cut  off  all  hope  of  her  escape. 
He  screamed  frantically  for  a ladder,  and,  when  it  was  brought, 
threw  it  against  the  window  and  sprang  up  the  rungs.  The 
flames  caught  it  at  the  bottom,  and  a longer  one  was  raised,  reach- 
ing the  roof.  George  swung  himself  lightly  from  one  to  the 
other,  and  soon  touched  the  eaves.  Quick  as  light  he  ran  along 
the  already  hot  slating,  opened  the  sky-light  and  called  “ Jennie, 
darling,  come  up  quickly.  You  will  be  safe  here.”  She  had 
fainted  when  she  heard  the  ladder  go  crashing  down,  for  she  im- 
agined her  brave  young  husband  had  fallen  a victim  to  the  sea  of 
fire  below ; and  now,  hearing  his  voice  calling  her  far  up  in  the 
dim  space,  she  thought  him  in  heaven,  and  that  she  and  baby 
would  soon  join  him  there.  But  some  blind  instinct  led  her  to 
clamber  up  as  fast  and  far  as  possible,  and  soon  the  fresh  air 
kissed  her  hot,  blind  eyes,  and  she  found  herself  in  her  husband’s 
arms.  As  he  took  the  babe  from  her,  she  whispered,  “We  can 
die  together,  George.  Thank  God  for  that !”  Just  then  a stream 
of  water  from  a well-directed  hose  fell  full  upon  them,  and 
through  the  drenching  torrent  a brother  fireman  came  and 
guided  them  down  the  slender,  swaying  ladder,  down  past  win- 
dows where  the  glass  was  crackling  and  the  flames  playing  in  and 
out  like  the  forked  tongues  of  ten  thousand  devils,  in  safety  to 
the  firm  pavement.  And  though  they  had  nothing  left  but  each 
other,  no  happier  people  are  living  to-day  than  George  Armstrong 
and  his  sweet  little  wife,  in  their  humble  shanty  on  the  lake 
shore. 

And  now  the  fire-fiend  ruled  the  city  like  a tyrant,  and  man  was 
powerless.  Dismay  took  possession  of  the  bravest  hearts. 
Some  wildly  declared  this  to  be  the  beginning  of  the  destruction 
of  all  things  earthly,  and  railed  at  those  who  strove  to  save  life 
or  property.  Others,  both  men  and  women,  besotted  themselves 


SCENE  IN  THE  PUBLIC  SQUARE.  TILE  COURT  HOUSE  IN  FLAMES 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  77 

with  whisky,  and  indulged  in  orgies  more  gross  and  unseemly 
than  those  of  the  licentious  Bacchanals  of  the  old  legends. 

Many  of  the  drunken  were  roasted  alive,  and  others  died  in  the 
streets  from  exposure,  or  were  trampled  to  death.  With  those 
who  kept  their  heads,  it  became  necessary  to  make  quick  de- 
cisions on  all  questions  concerning  life,  property  and  a tempor- 
ary retreat,  and  especially  on  means  to  remove  themselves  and 
families  beyond  the  reach  of  the  flames.  When  the  fire  attacked 
the  Smith  and  Nixon  block,  at  the  southwest  corner  of  Clark  and 
Washington  streets,  the  panic  was  at  its  height ; but  some  wise 
acres  declared  it  could  not  reach  the  court  house,  although  the 
block  above  named  was  known  to  be  a colossal  tinder-box,  as  it 
proved.  The  court  house  was  in  a blaze  before  the  spectators 
were  aware  that  fire  had  been  communicated  to  it  in  any  man- 
ner, although  the  shower  of  sparks,  with  which  it  was  en- 
veloped should  have  taught  them  that  its  tar  roof  must  go  and 
after  that  its  utter  destruction  was  inevitable.  The  great  bell  was 
still  thundering  forth  the  note  of  alarm  when  the  flames 
caught  its  frail  tenement  in  the  windings  of  their  hot  embrace, 
wrestled  and  surged  for  a moment,  and  then  the  deep-mouthed 
brass  went  tumbling  and  ominously  clanging  to  the  earth.  The 
people  had  become  so  accustomed  to  its- — boom — boom — that 
for  a moment  after  it  fell  they  were  startled  into  silence  ; but  it 
was  only  the  silence  that  preceeded  the  louder  peal,  and  soon  the 
uproar  redoubled  with  Babel  sounds  and  Bedlam  outcries.  The 
Sherman  House  and  all  the  towering  blocks  in  that  vincinity 
were  soon  ablaze,  and  the  wild  retreat  of  guests  and  lodgers,  in 
hacks,  express  wagons,  carts,  and  all  manner  of  vehicles,  gave  an 
additional  impetus  to  the  motions  of  those  already  occupying  the 
thronged  thoroughfares  thereabout,  hustling,  maiming,  crushing 
the  old  and  feeble  and  the  poor,  trebly  excited  and  exhausted 
watchers  of,  and  participators  in  the  terrible  events  of  five  heurs 
of  continued,  everchanging,  but  bloody  and  remorseless  tradgedy. 
It  was  here,  amid  these  scenes  of  terrible  affright,  and  wild 
hallo,  “ confusion  worse  confounded,”  that  the  panic  took  a new 
departure,  and  divided  the  column  of  the  retreating  rabble  into 
two  sections,  one  of  which  dashed  madly  up  Washington  street  to 
escape  by  the  tunnel,  and  the  other  rushed  in  indescribable  con- 
fusion for  Randolph  street  bridge.  Both  of  these  points  were 
reached  amid  the  clatter  of  heavy  wagons  and  steel  shod  hoofs, 


78 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


the  cracking  of  whips,  oaths  of  the  drivers,  curses  of  staid  citi- 
zens, and  wild  screams  of  women  and  children.  The  crush  at 
the  tunnel  is  said  to  have  been  unutterably  terrific.  The  occa- 
sion had  made  every  point  where  safety  could  be  sought  common 
ground  to  all  classes  and  conditions  of  people,  and  so  there 
rushed  into  the  dark,  cavern-like  tunnel,  bankers  and  thieves, 
merchants  and  gamblers,  artizans  and  loafers,  clergymen  and 
burglars,  matrons  and  rag-pickers,  maidens  and  prostitutes — 
representatives  of  virtue  and  vice,  industry  and  improvidence, 
in  every  grade,  and  strangely  commingling  all  the  diverse  ele- 
ments of  a mixed  community,  animated  by  one  purpose  and 
seeking  a common  object.  Here  the  Graces  and  Gorgons  met, 
Euphrosyne,  Aglaia  and  Thalia,  hand  in  hand  with  Stheno,  Eu- 
ryale  and  Medusa,  seeking  the  poor  boon  of  life  at  the  utter  sac- 
rifice of  all  those  weak  conventialisms,  that  only  a few  short 
hours  ago  were  thought  to  be  the  sole  object  and  aim  of  existence. 
Here  Pudicitia  mingled  her  tears  with  the  Lady  Godivas  and 
Cyprian  nymphs  ; and  here  Mercurius  joined  (Edipus  in  suppli- 
cating the  triple  throne  of  Clotho,  Lachesis  and  Atropos.  There 
were  bruises  and  groans,  blows  and  piercing  shrieks,  prayers, 
imprecations,  pocket-picking,  and  indignities  unmentionable : 
but,  strange  to  contemplate,  no  loss  of  life,  nor  fatal  hurt.  And  so 
this  motley  crowd,  finding  ingress  and  egress  reasonably  free, 
under  all  the  circumstances,  and  the  prospect  beyond  promising 
of  chanoes  for  life,  continued  to  pass  through  the  Cimmerian 
cavern,  with  their  little  savings  and  pilferings,  their  treasures  and 
trinkets  and  babies,  in  tolerable  order. 

But  the  lord  of  misrule  was  indubitably  the  reigning  genius 
at  the  bridge.  The  stampede  here  continued  to  increase  in 
wildness  and  disorder  until  cursing  became  the  only  mode  of 
expression,  and  blows  were  soon  as  free  as  curses.  Every  imag- 
inable variety  of  vehicle  had  been  called  in  requisition  to  con- 
vey the  trunks  and  merchandise  of  fleeing  citizens  to  a place  of 
safety,  and  many  of  the  drivers  were  clerks  and  fnere  boys, 
whose  skill  at  the  business  was  born  of  the  occasion,  and  awk- 
wardly demonstrated.  Wagons,  carts,  and  trucks  were  con- 
stantly colliding,  and  the  shouting  of  men,  the  whistling  of  the 
steam  tugs,  the  roar  of  the  conflagration,  the  terrified  snorting 
of  horses,  and  barking  of  dogs,  together  with  the  prolonged 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  79 

shrieks  of  the  tempestuous  wind,  made  a discord  as  harsh, 
weird  and  uncouth,  as  if 

* * * “all  the  imps  that  fell. 

Had  raised  the  banner-cry  of  hell.” 

Many  persons  were  sadly  abused  and  terribly  hurt  in  the 
struggle  for  precedence,  and  many  valuable  articles  des- 
troyed in  the  shameful  contention.  To  gratify  a momentary 
spite  goods  were  seized  and  thrown  into  the  river,  and  a case  is 
reported  where  the  entire  effects  of  a family,  including  the  vehi- 
cle, a light  handcart,  were  dumped  into  the  water  in  return  for 
an  insolent  word.  Gunpowder  had  now  been  called  into  requi- 
sition to  stay  the  further  progress  of  the  devouring  element,  and 
on  every  side  the  heavy  detonation  indicated  the  demolition  of 
proud  structures  that  other  proud  structures  might  be  spared. 
The  great  warehouses  in  Lake  street  were  going  down  before  the 
fiery  wall  as  though  they  were  mere  bundles  of  piece  shavings, 
and  among  the  ruins  and  impending  catastrophes  of  this  mart 
of  commerce  is  where  the  present  chapter  was  introduced  to  the 
reader. 

It  seems  appropriate  to  present,  just  here,  a strictly  histori- 
cal narration  of  the  fire  ; and  thereafter  its  main  incidents  are 
detailed  by  “ a cloud  of  witnesses,”  as  embodied  in  their  per- 
sonal experience. 


SCENE  IN  DEARBORN  STREET  WHEN  TIIE  FIRE  REACHED  THE  TREMONT  HOUSE. 


The  Great  Conflagration 

HISTORICALLY  TREATED. 

THE  FIRST  FIRE. 

Saturday  night,  October  7th,  witnessed  one  of  the  fiercest 
conflagrations  that  had  ever  previously  occurred,  not  excepting 
the  conflagration  of  1857,  in  the  Garden  City.  At  about  two 
o’clock  the  alarm  sounded  from  Box  248,  and  ere  the  quivering 
boom  of  the  great  bell  had  ceased  to  vibrate  over  the  empty 
streets,  the  sky  grew  fiercely  red  in  the  direction  of  Canal  and 
Yan  Buren  streets,  and  soon  long  bright  flames  leaped  through 
the  glow,  and  lit  up  the  whole  neighborhood  with  wonderous 
brilliancy  before  the  fire  department  could  arrive  at  the  scene 
of  destruction.  Late  as  the  hour  was,  the  glare  of  the  fiery 
illumination  soon  attracted  vast  crowds  to  the  neighborhood  of 
the  fire  from  all  quarters  of  the  city,  who  thronged  and  choked 
up  all  the  streets  in  the  neighborhood.  The  wind  rose  as  the 
flames  gained  in  strength,  blowing  strongly  from  the  South-west, 
so  strongly,  indeed,  that  blazing  fragments  of  wood  of  no  incon- 
siderable size  shot  along  on  the  gale  like  rockets,  to  the  distance 
of  many  hundred  yards.  Indeed,  as  lookers  on  beheld  the  me- 
teor shower  of  white  and  crimson  charcoal  sparks  raining  all 
over  the  space  enclosed  between  the  river,  the  South  branch. 
Wells  street  and  Jackson  street,  and  even  flying  over  the  river 
to  the  North-side,  they  began  to  fear,  with  reason,  that  the  con- 
flagration might  spread  beyond  control  of  the  fire  department. 

The  fire  had  been  raging  for  some  time  before  discovered,  and 
owing  to  the  nature  of  the  substance  feeding  it,  soon  converted 
the  building  into  a furnace.  It  originated  from  some  unknown 
cause  in  Lull  & Holmes  planing-mill  on  Canal  street  near  Yan 
Buren,  the  wind  then  blowing  due  North,  and  the  flames  conse- 
quently spread  in  a Northward  direction.  But  soon  after  the 
wind  veered  to  the  North-east,  and  the  flames  commenced  t© 
rush  that  way.  The  fire  had  already  spread  to  the  right  and  left, 
and  burnt  a distance  of  two  blocks  from  Clinton  to  the  river ; 
but  when  the  wind  changed  everything  combustible  from  the 
East  line  of  Clinton  to  the  river,  midway  between  Jackson  and 


84 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


Van  Buren  streets,  was  swept  away  by  the  flames.  Unfortu- 
nately frame  buildings — lumberyards,  and  substances  inflammable 
as  tinder  almost,  covered  and  surrounded  the  space  which  the 
fire  was  threatening,  and  the  fire  department  was  powerless  to 
quench  such  a hell  of  flame  as  roared  over  several  squares  with- 
in a very  short  time.  Then  the  bright  waves  of  fire  swept  to  the 
North  of  Jackson  street,  and  seemed  as  though  they  would 
spread  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city.  Jackson  street,  between 
Clinton  and  Canal,  was  composed  in  great  part  of  wooden  build- 
ings, lumberyards,  carpenters’  shops,  frame  dwelling  houses,  and 
saloons,  and  in  little  more  than  a quarter  of  an  hour,  the  whole 
of  this  space  was  enveloped  in  roaring  flame.  Between  the  rail- 
road tracks  and  the  East  side  of  Canal  street,  bounded  by 
Jackson  and  Adams  streets,  were  several  coal  and  lumber  offices, 
to  the  rear  of  which  lay  vast  piles  of  anthracite  coal  to  the 
amount  of  many  hundreds  of  tons.  The  slight  office  buildings 
were  licked  up  by  the  flames  within  the  space  of  a few  minutes, 
and  the  coal-mounds  actually  set  on  fire.  And  then  the  fire  ran 
under  and  over  the  Adams  street  Viaduct,  licked  up  the  railings 
and  sidewalks  of  the  iron  bridge,  and  devoured  the  timber  freight 
depot  of  the  United  States  and  Adams  Express  Companies  at 
the  North-east  corner  of  Adams  and  Canal.  But  a compara- 
tively small  quantity  of  the  contents  could  be  removed  in  time, 
the  greater  part  of  the  goods  being  consumed. 

To  the  east  of  the  long  shed,  then  blazing,  stood  a number  of 
passenger  cars  belonging  to  the  Pittsburg  and  Fort  Wayne  Rail- 
road. To  save  the  cars  it  was  necessary  to  tear  down  the  shed, 
which  was  effected  in  time  to  prevent  the  cars  catching  fire,  in 
which  case  the  flames  must  have  communicated  with  the  Pitts- 
burg and  Port  Wayne  depot,  and  thence  burned  as  far  as  Madi- 
son street  bridge.  The  citizens,  however,  worked  desperately 
here,  for  they  recognized  the  possible  danger  of  the  fire  spread- 
ing still  further  to  the  East  and  North-east,  and  the  fire  depart- 
ment was  unable  to  operate  with  any  chance  of  success  in  this 
locality.  Here  the  fight  with  the  flames  was  successful,  and  the 
citizens  conquered,  in  spite  of  a hail  of  crimson  cinders  and 
clouds  of  acrid  dun-colored  smoke,  so  thick,  that  it  might  almost 
have  been  cut  with  a knife. 

Meanwhile  the  firemen  were  battling  with  desperate  energy 
against  the  progressing  flames  on  the  South  line  of  Adams  street, 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


85 


West  of  Canal,  and  stretching  nearly  to  Clinton  street.  The 
buildings  were  nearly  all  frame  residences,  and  should  the  flame 
make  good  its  position  here,  or  cross  to  the  North  line  of  wooden 
structures,  the  consequences  would  be  terrible.  The  firemen 
could,  as  it  was,  being  but  twelve  hose-nozzles  to  play  upon  the 
leaping  battalion  of  fire  that  was  marching  grandly  over  the 
roofs.  The  heat  was  so  terrible  that  the  crowd,  several  hundred 
feet  away,  shrank  further  back  before  the  angiy  glare — yet  the 
heroic  firemen  would  stand  within  a few  yards  of  the  blaze  it- 
self, only  retiring  to  take  breath.  Of  course  so  hot  a wood  fire 
must  burn  itself  out  to  a certain  extent,  there  was  no  possibility 
of  absolutely  extinguishing  it,  but  they  subdued  the  fiery  ardor 
of  the  flames  and  prevented  them  from  spreading  to  the  houses 
on  the  other  side  of  the  street. 

The  crowd  that  stood  upon  Madison  street  bridge,  and 
thronged  the  thoroughfare  itself,  were  appalled  by  the  spectacle 
before  them.  The  sight  was  almost  sublime,  the  heavens  were 
speckled  and  spangled  with  flying  cinders  and  vivid  sparks,  and 
the  flames  of  the  burning  coal-heaps  and  lumberyards  threw  a 
vast  Bembrandtesque  light  far  down  the  streets  on  the  North 
side,  upon  the  rigging  of  the  tall-masted  vessels  in  the  river, 
and  upon  the  sea  of  awe-struck  faces  that  gazed  into  the  crim- 
son sky  and  the  tossing  sea  of  flame. 

Many  were  obliged  to  flee  for  their  fives,  mostly  poor  laborers 
who  lived  in  the  consumed  frame  buildings  with  their  families, 
or  in  the  cheap  boarding  houses  in  the  burnt  quarter.  But 
happily  no  fives  were  lost  as  far  as  is  known.  One  old  woman 
was  only  awakened  from  her  sleep  by  the  entrance  of  the  flames 
into  her  bedroom  on  Jackson  street,  and  was  only  saved  by  the 
heroism  of  a printer,  Bobert  Campsie  by  name,  who,  at  the  risk 
of  his  own  fife,  brought  her  out  of  the  burning  building.  Both 
rescuer  and  rescued  were  severely,  but  not  dangerously  burnt. 
Her  daughter-in-law,  a young  woman  of  the  name  of  Margaret 
Headley,  was  left  behind,  and  has  not  been  heard  of;  it  is,  how- 
ever, probable,  that  she  succeeded  in  making  her  escape. 

One  accident  of  a rather  serious  nature  occurred  during  this 
conflagration.  A large  shed  stood  at  the  corner  of  Clinton  and 
Jackson  streets,  whose  roof  afforded  a splendid  view  of  the  fire, 
and  was  moreover  easy  of  access.  The  crowd  continued  to 
gather  upon  it,  until  it  suddenly  gave  way  beneath  the  weight  of 


86 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


about  150  persons,  and  the  whole  structure  caved  in.  A consid- 
erable number  of  the  victims  of  this  disaster  were  severely  in- 
jured, none  we  believe  fatally. 

Many  of  the  saloon-keepers  in  the  burning  district,  distributed 
their  stock  gratis  to  the  crowd,  when  they  perceived  their  prop- 
erty was  doomed. 

The  “ Chicago”  steam  fire-engine  was  working  away  at  the 
northwest  corner  of  Canal  and  Jackson  streets,  when  the  side  of 
a burning  edifice  close  by  suddenly  fell  in,  giving  vent  to  a whirl- 
wind of  flames  which  enveloped  the  steamer  in  an  instant.  The 
engineer  and  firemen  were  compelled  to  desert  her  as  they  valued 
their  lives,  but  shortly  the  fury  of  the  flames  spent  themselves  in 
that  quarter,  and  they  rushed  in  and  pulled  her  out  of  the  reach 
of  the  fire.  The  engine  was  considerably  damaged,  but  was  able 
to  continue  operations  during  the  latter  part  of  the  fire. 

The  heat  destroyed  the  western  wires  of  the  Western  Union 
Telegraph  Company,  as  well  as  several  of  the  fire  alarm  telegraph 
wires.  In  one  of  the  lumber  yards  a party  of  eight  men  found 
themselves  overwhelmed  by  fire  on  all  sides,  and  only  saved 
themselves  by  throwing  a quantity  of  lumber  into  the  river,  and 
paddling  across.  The  only  effective  method  of  saving  about 
thirty  wagons  and  trucks  belonging  to  the  cual-yard,  was  by  sink- 
ing them  in  the  river. 

Altogether  the  fire  of  Saturday  night,  October  7th,  covered 
about  twenty  acres  of  ground  and  destroyed  in  the  neighborhood 
of  $700,000  worth  of  property.  The  insurance  cannot  cover 
more  than  a third  of  the  loss,  according  to  the  Chicago  Tribune. 
The  following  extract  from  the  same  paper  gives  perhaps  the 
most  accurate  summary  of  the  extent  of  the  conflagration. 

“ The  boundaries  of  the  fire  may  be  briefly  summarized  as  fol- 
lows: 

Between  Clinton  and  Canal  streets,  about  three-fourths  of  the 
area  south  toward  Yan  Buren  street. 

Between  Canal  street  and  the  river,  about  nine-tenths  of  the 
area,  south  toward  Yan  Buren  street. 

Between  Canal  street  and  the  river,  and  Adams  and  Jackson 
streets,  the  entire  area. 

Between  Canal  and  Clinton  streets,  and  Adams  and  Jackson 
streets  about  seven-eights  of  the  entire  area,  the  only  remaining 
buildings  being  the  frontage  of  about  80  feet  on  Adams  and 
128  feet  on  Clinton  street. 

On  the  east  side  of  Canal,  north  of  Adams,  about  100  feet  in 
frontage,  consuming  the  Express  Company  freight  sheds.” 


BURNING  OF  TIIE  CROSBY  Ol’ERA  HOUSE. 


THE  GREAT  FIRE 

OF  THE  EIGHTH  OF  OCTOBER. 


Since  tlie  day  when  “tall  Troy”  crumbled  away  in  flames,  no 
fire  has  surpassed  the  Chicago  conflagration  in  its  terrible  work 
of  destruction.  The  value  of  the  merchandise  alone  consumed 
by  the  flames  was  at  least  double  that  of  the  goods  destroyed  in 
the  great  fires  of  Moscow  and  London  combined.  No  city  ever 
suffered  a greater  pecuniary  loss  by  fire,  whether  Jerusalem  smit- 
ten by  Titus,  Rome  when  sacked  by  Alaric,  or  Carthage  when 
given  up  to  fire  and  sword  by  her  Roman  conquerors.  The  esti- 
mate of  loss  of  life,  great  as  it  seems,  is  really  astonishingly  low 
when  we  consider  the  extent,  rapidity  and  fierceness  of  the  fire 
whose  devastating  power  was  trebled  by  the  furious  gale.  For 
two  days  the  city  was  a rolling  ocean  of  flame,  and  presented  an 
aspect  whose  awful  grandeur  might  rival  the  spectacle  of  a 
seething  roaring  volcano  crater.  The  torrent  of  fire  swept  over  a 
space  of  from  five  to  seven  miles  in  length,  averaging  a mile  in 
width,  and  no  building,  probably  in  any  city  of  the  world  could 
have  withstood  the  typhoon  of  flame  and  fire  combined.  In 
many  instances  the  action  of  the  fire  bore  a strange  resemblance 
to  that  of  lightning.  Blank  walls  were  pierced  in  an  instant  by 
a vast  tongue  of  flame,  as  though  struck  by  powerful  artillery — 
indeed  a sheet  of  fire  would  frequently  leap  from  the  roof  of  a 
blazing  edifice  over  a space  of  several  hundred  feet,  and  dash 
through  the  blank  wall  of  a loftier  edifice  opposite,  at  one  flaming 
bound. 

It  must  of  course  puzzle  the  reader  to  imagine  how  the  fire 
could  make  such  appalling  and  rapid  progress,  licking  up  marble 
edifices  like  wax-work,  and  sweeping  over  a space  of  hundreds  of 
square  acres,  all  in  a few  hours  from  its  commencement.  To  un- 
derstand this  appalling  fact  it  must  be  remembered  that  in  the 
first  place  the  very  finest  and  most  solidly  built  portion  of  the 
city  was  surrounded  and  sprinkled  with  a vast  number  of  frame 
buildings,  and  were  thus,  as  it  were,  encircled  by  fuel  of  the  driest 
and  most  inflammable  description.  Once  the  wood,  tar  and 
shingles  were  well  fit  the  more  lightly  built  portion  of  the  city 
was  a terrific  furnace,  and  the  buildings  of  iron  and  marble  were  as 


90 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


nothing  to  withstand  the  fearful  force  of  the  flames.  It  is  pretty 
generally  known  that  shortly  before  the  fire,  an  agent  of  one  of 
the  great  English  Insurance  companies  visited  the  city  with  the 
intention  of  establishing  a branch  office  there,  but  immediately 
abandoned  the  design,  upon  observing  the  material  of  which  a 
great  part  of  the  city  was  built,  and  its  exposed  situation.  He  ex- 
pressed his  opinion  freely  enough  that  were  a conflagration  once 
well  started  the  city  must  be  partially  if  not  entirely  consumed ; 
and  scarcely  had  he  returned  to  England  when  his  predictions 
were  verified.  If  any  one  desires  to  comprehend  accurately  the 
effect  of  the  flames  upon  those  massive  buildings  of  iron  and 
stone  which  we  considered  impervious  to  flame — Jet  him  build  a 
small  model  of  such  a building  with  the  usual  materials,  and 
place  it  in  an  iron  blast  furnace.  In  the  furnace-fire  of  Chicago 
the  blast  came  in  the  form  of  a strong  wind  from  the  south  and 
west,  which  fanned  what  might  otherwise  have  been  but  a serious 
conflagration  into  a Phlegethon  of  looming,  flashing,  rolling, 
rushing,  crackling  billows  of  furious  fire,  which  hurled  a fiery 
spray  into  the  red  bosom  of  the  incandescent  heavens  above. 

“For  nearly  fifteen  weeks,”  says  the  Chicago  Journal  of  Com- 
merce, “ there  had  not  fallen  enough  rain  to  penetrate  the  earth 
one  full  inch.  Everything  in  and  around  the  city  was  heated, 
dry  and  parched.  Indeed,  all  through  the  West,  fires  were 
devastating  extensive  forests  and  destroying  ripening  crops, 
driving  frontier  settlers  from  their  cabins  and  even  over- 
whelming entire  villages.  For  days  the  prevailing  atmos- 
phere of  our  city  seemed  ready  to  kindle  into  a blaze.” 
With  such  surroundings  and  antecedents,  with  a hard  gale  blow- 
ing over  the  city  from  the  hot,  parched-up  prairies,  we  can  hardly 
be  surprised  that  the  fire  did  its  work  with  such  fearful  rapidity 
at  the  outset,  that  the  efforts  of  the  firemen  to  master  the  terrible 
scourge  proved  wholly  unavailing. 

Much  has  been  said  on  the  subject  of  the  demoralization,  real 
or  imagined,  of  the  Fire  Department  on  the  night  of  the  8th.  It 
has  been  hinted  that  several  were  intoxicated,  and  that  the  brig- 
ade, as  a body,  were  utterly  inefficient  to  accomplish  their  duty 
properly.  These  shameful  rumors  have  happily  proved  to  be 
without  foundation.  A more  gallant  struggle  against  an  over- 
whelming, all-powerful,  merciless  league  of  wind  and  fire,  was 
never  sustained  by  braver  men  who  freely  risked,  and  lost,life  and 
limb  in  the  terribly  unequal  fight. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


91 


The  truth  is  that  courage  and  strength  and  energy  must  wither 
under  excessive  fatigue  consequent  on  unintermitting  labor 
and  want  of  rest ; and  at  the  time  of  the  general  alarm,  on  the 
evening  of  the  eighth,  the  whole  department  was  almost  worn 
out  with  the  labor  of  previous  weeks.  “ During  the  first  week  in 
October,”  affirms  the  same  able  periodical,  from  which  we  quote 
above,  “ our  fire  department  had  been  alarmed  more  than  thirty 
times,  and  within  a few  previous  weeks  there  had  been  several 
very  large  and  fearful  fires.  The  burning  of  an  immense  ware- 
house, in  the  rear  of  Burlington  Hall,  had  involved  a loss  of  three- 
quarters  of  a million.  "When  the  great  calamity  came  upon  us, 
these  ruins  had  hardly  ceased  to  smoke.  * * * 

On  Tuesday,  October  8th,  the  last  day  of  the  Chicago  of  twenty 
years,  our  fire  department  was  ‘ used  up’.”  It  appears  that  in  addi- 
tion to  the  labors  of  weeks,  weary  labors  of  fighting  flame,  the  entire 
department  had  worked  unceasingly  for  twelve  hours  immediately 
preceding  the  final  summons  of  the  alarm  bells.  Human  strength, 
whether  constitutional  or  muscular,  cannot  endure  such  a strain 
without  yielding  to  fatigue.  Nor  is  it  to  be  supposed,  as  many 
seem  to  have  imagined,  that  under  these  circumstances  they 
could  compete  in  vigor  and  celerity  with  the  firemen  of  Cincinnati 
or  St.  Louis,  who  rushed  to  bear  aid  in  the  terrible  emergency. 
All  such  comparisons  as  those  we  hint  at,  are  at  least  cruelly 
unjust,  not  to  say  imbecile. 

The  origin  of  the  fire  is  not  known,  or  rather  we  have  no  means 
of  ascertaining  by  what  agency  the  first  building  was  ignited. 
The  story  about  the  old  woman  who  went  into  her  stable  to  milk 
her  cow  by  the  light  of  a kerosene  lamp,  which  lamp  said  cow 
kicked  over,  is  a pure  fabrication.  No  such  woman  or  cow  pro- 
bably existed,  save  in  the  imagination  of  some  manufacturer  of 
canards. 

The  fire  first  broke  out,  it  is  well  known,  in  a small  stable  to 
the  rear  of  a frame  building  on  the  north  side  of  De  Koven  street, 
almost  half-way  between  Jefferson  and  Clinton  streets.  The 
cottage  belongs,  (for  yet  it  stands  isolated  in  the  midst  of  ruin, 
a strange  fact !)  to  a laboring  man  and  his  family.  The  famous 
stable  at  the  rear  contained  their  little  stock,  a horse  and  several 
cows.  Perhaps  we  might  more  properly  call  the  building  a barn. 
They  never  milked  their  cows  later  than  5 A.  M.,  and  4J  P.  M. 
in  order  to  be  in  full  readiness  to  dispose  of  their  milk  in  time 


92 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


for  their  neighbor’s  breakfasts  and  suppers.  On  the  Sunday  in 
question  the  cows  were  milked  as  usual  by  the  wife  and  daugh- 
ter, and  at  an  hour  when  daylight  rendered  the  use  of  lamp  or 
candle  unnecessary.  Witnesses  prove  beyond  a doubt  that  the 
family  were  all  in  bed,  without  exception,  before  the  fire  broke 
out,  when  they  rushed  to  the  barn  only  to  find  it  too  late  either 
to  extinguish  the  flame  or  to  liberate  the  animals. 

It  is,  therefore,  certain  that  neither  old  woman,  cow  or  kero- 
sene lamp  had  anything  to  do  with  the  fire  whatever.  It  is  also 
highly  incredible  that  incendiarism  on  the  part  of  the  owners  of 
the  frame  house  on  De  Koven  street  should  have  originated  the 
conflagration.  Neither  is  it  at  all  likely  that  the  fire  was  any- 
thing but  wholly  accidental,  notwithstanding  rumors.  The  Jour - 
nal  of  Commerce  remarks  that  in  a high  wind  smokers  might  step 
aside  in  the  lee  of  this  little  edifice  to  light  their  pipes  and 
cigars.  At  least  from  the  situation  of  the  house,  they  would  be 
more  likely  to  stop  there  for  the  purpose  of  striking  a match 
than  at  any  other  part  in  that  neighborhood.  A spark  alighting 
on  this  tinder  of  hay  and  shingles,  and  fanned  by  the  wind,  wonld 
soon  wrap  the  slight  barn  in  flames. 

From  this  point  the  fire  spread  East,  West,  and  North,  with  in- 
credible swiftness,  and  when  aid  arrived  the  fire  had  taken  so 
strong  a hold  upon  the  slight  structures  in  the  neighborhood,  that 
all  efforts  to  check  it  proved  unavailing.  All  the  buildings  on 
De  Koven  street,  from  Jefferson  to  Clinton,  were  burned  level 
with  the  pavement,  if  we  except  the  little  dwelling  house  in  the 
rear  of  the  fatal  barn,  which  stands  perfectly  uninjured  among 
the  charred  remains  surrounding  it. 

As  the  fire  extended,  it  gained  in  strength  and  fierceness, 
spreading  faster  and  faster — and,  as  is  always  the  case,  the 
flames  seemed  to  increase  the  power  of  the  wind  which  gained 
power  and  fury  in  proportion. 

The  fire  department  worked  bravely  and  well  in  this  neighbor- 
hood. The  fire  did  not  extend  further  West  than  Jefferson  street, 
and  all  the  buildings  on  that  side  were  rescued,  although  several 
caught  fire  from  the  intense  heat.  About  two  squares  and  a half 
were  saved  on  the  other  side  of  the  street  through  the  gallant 
efforts  of  the  firemen.  But  the  furious  wind  now  commenced  to 
catch  up  burning  shingles,  showers  of  charcoal  sparks,  and  fire- 
brands of  all  kinds,  carrying  them  towards  the  North-east  with 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


93 


terrible  effect.  From  Clinton  street  to  the  South  branch  of  the 
Chicago  Biver,  including  Canal  street,  Beech  street,  and.  the 
railway  tracks,  the  whole  space  was  covered  with  lumber-yards, 
wooden  buildings,  quantities  of  coal,  and,  in  short,  everything 
that  would  make  a good  fire.  With  the  exception  of  a few  build- 
ings at  the  corner  of  De  Koven  and  Canal,  and  a few  on  Canal 
itself,  everything  was  burned  to  ashes,  the  very  streets  being 
scorched  and  blackened.  But  the  remainder  of  the  West  side 
of  the  city  was  saved.  The  fire  had  reached  the  portion  devasta- 
ted by  the  flames  in  the  conflagration  of  Saturday  night.  North 
of  Harrison  and  Yan  Buren  streets  was  the  blank  space  upon 
which  the  fire  of  the  previous  evening  had  spent  itself,  and  the 
skeleton  walls  and  scorched  brick  afforded  it  nothing  to  feed  upon. 
Were  it  not  for  this  fact,  the  south  side  would  have  been  alto- 
gether destroyed  as  completely  as  the  north  had  been.  As  it  was 
the  fire  ate  up  more  than  fifty  squares  of  the  West  Division,  also 
devouring  four  or  five  of  the  bridges  to  the  south  side. 

When  the  fire  leaped  the  south  branch  of  the  Chicago  river, 
it  revelled  among  the  very  same  combustible  material  as  it  had 
devoured  on  the  West-side;  coal,  lumber,  planing  mills,  frame 
houses,  &c.  It  attacked  the  Armory  and  licked  up  everything  in 
it,  surrounded  the  gas  works  and  exploded  the  gasometer,  and 
then  the  situation  really  became  alarming.  Iron  and  stone 
melted  and  crumbled  in  the  terrible  heat,  and  the  fire  brigade 
had  barely  obtained  a good  position,  when  the  flames,  rushing 
along  as  fast  as  a man  can  walk,  drove  them  before  it,  and  it  was 
with  difficulty  that  they  could  save  their  engines,  so  that  finally 
it  became  extremely  dangerous  to  oppose  the  fire.  “ Marble 

buildings”  says  a Chicago  paper  “were  burned  to  quicklime, 
crumbled,  fell  and  disappeared  as  though  they  were  mere  toys  of 
children.  Thus  onward  rushed  the  flames,  advancing  north  and 
east  with  great  rapidity  and  ‘ eating,’  even  against  the  wind, 
steadily  south.” 

The  fire  then  leaped  the  stone-yards  and  open  lots  to  the 
north  of  the  Michigan,  Southern  and  Bock  Island  Bailroads, 
and  in  an  extraordinary  short  time  devoured  the  famous  Pacific 
Hotel,  one  of  the  largest  in  the  world ; and  the  huge  depot  with 
its  lines  of  cars  soon  melted  away  in  the  flames.  Far  north  of 
Yan  Buren  street  the  fire  licked  up  gigantic  squares  of  marble 
palaces,  and  approached  the  court  house.  This  splendid  build- 


94 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


ing  occupied  tlie  center  of  a square,  and  owing  to  its  isolated  sit- 
uation, and  its  being  surrounded  by  fire-proof  buildings,  was 
considered  free  from  danger.  But  even  before  tlie  sea  of  flames 
surrounded  it,  the  ruthless  wind  hurled  flaming  brands  and 
sparks  upon  the  great  dome,  and  the  edifice  was  soon  a mass  of 
flames.  The  watchman  started  the  machinery  that  tolled  the 
ponderous  bell,  and  fled  from  the  building,  the  bell  boomed  forth 
the  news  of  the  terrible  catastrophe  until  the  vast  dome  tottered, 
reeled,  and  fell,  crashing  into  the  interior  with  all  the  weight  of 
its  several  million  pounds.  The  awful  shock  shook  the  burning 
city,  and  then  the  Chief  of  the  Fire  Department  threw  up  his 
arms  in  despair  ; for  he  felt  that  all  hope  was  gone. 

The  prisoners  were  liberated  when  it  became  evident  that  the 
court  house  was  doomed,  and  all  escaped  with  the  exception  of 
five  murderers  who  were  securely  handcuffed  and  marched  off  by 
the  police.  It  is  said  that  the  liberated  thieves  commenced 
their  nefarious  trade  under  the  very  walls  of  their  blazing  prison, 
and  cleared  a wagon  load  of  clothing  that  was  passing  at  the 
time. 

The  interior  of  the  Post-Office  was  completely  eaten  out  by 
the  devouring  fire,  but  its  walls  successfully  resisted  the  raging 
element,  and  even  checked  the  flames  for  a time  in  a north- 
easterly direction.  Near  this  were  many  of  the  finest  buildings 
Chicago  could  boast  of,  including  the  elegant  hotels  between 
Madison  and  Lake  streets ; and  the  splendid  office  of  the  Chi- 
cago Tribune,  McVickers  Theatre,  and  the  Palmer  House,  all 
stood  within  a few  squares  of  the  glowing  walls  of  the  Post-Office. 
Soon,  however,  the  flame  advancing  eastwardly  seized  upon  the 
Palmer  House,  wrapping  it  from  roof  to  basement  in  a shroud 
of  yellow  fire,  and  the  flames  bursting  from  the  roof,  leaped  as- 
tonishing distances  to  yet  intact  edifices.  In  a very  short  space 
of  time  all  the  surrounding  buildings  were  blazing  as  fiercely 
as  the  Palmer  House,  itself,  and  the  Tribune  building,  as  well  as 
McVicker’s  theatre,  crumbled  away  before  the  flames  which 
rushed  in  upon  them  from  the  rear. 

The  North  division  was  untouched  until  a little  after  twelve 
o’clock,  on  the  same  night,  when  the  fire  leaped  the  main  branch 
of  the  Chicago  river,  and  licked  up  everything  combustible  with 
its  vast  tongues  of  flame.  The  people  dwelling  in  the  North 
division — which  indeed  was  composed  mostly  of  dwelling 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


95 


houses — soon  found  themselves  compelled  to  fly  to  the  lake-shore. 
Many,  however,  plunged  into  the  North  branch  of  the  river,  or 
sought  to  cross  on  anything  that  would  sustain  them.  This  side 
of  the  city  contained  the  greater  number  of  the  fine  churches, 
palace  residences,  shade-trees,  several  depots,  and  enormous 
warehouses  and  manufactories.  The  North  pier  extended  far 
into  the  lake  a thousand  feet,  and  close  by  were  great  stores  of 
valuable  material  of  all  kinds.  One  of  the  finest  buildings  in 
the  West  was  here  consumed — McCormick’s  Agricultural  Imple- 
ment Works,  containing  property  and  stock  valued  at  over  SI, 000 
000.  But  the  chief  loss  which  the  city  endured  was  that  of 
the  Water  Works. 

It  may  as  well  be  known,  that  although  the  water  works  were 
uninjured  at  the  time  when  the  fire  seized  the  North-side  of  the 
river,  yet  soon  after  they  ceased  to  supply  water.  This  may 
prove  a good  lesson  to  those  who  believe  that  a city  can  always 
depend  upon  an  engine-supplied  reservoir  for  its  supply  of 
water.  Although  the  Water  Works’  structure  was  deemed  fire- 
proof, yet  there  was  a considerable  amount  of  woodwork  about 
it.  The  Journal  of  Commerce  wisely  exclaims  : “ A few  thous- 

and dollars  additional  expense  on  the  water  works  would  have 
saved  many  lives  and  much  treasure.”  The  flying  brands  and 
sparks  set  fire  to  the  roof  immediately  above  the  engine-room, 
the  furthest  point  from  the  sweeping  surging  ocean  of  flame,  that 
had  already  traveled  at  least  three  miles  in  six  hours.  This  was 
instantly  extinguished,  but  soon  after  the  great  breweries  close 
by  burst  into  roaring  flames,  and  tongues  of  fire  were  darting 
over  the  turreted  roof  of  the  Water-Works’  building.  Within 
the  atmosphere  became  heated  to  a degree  that  rendered  it  al- 
most impossible  for  the  workmen  and  engineers  to  perform  their 
duties  through  danger  of  suffocation.  At  last  the  fire  burst 
through  the  roof  above  their  heads,  and  they  were  compelled  to 
abandon  the  building,  having  first  stopped  the  machinery  in  or- 
der that  it  might  be  injured  as  little  as  possible,  and  the  safety 
valves  were  raised  in  order  that  the  ponderous  boilers  might  not 
burst.  Then  the  immense  roof  crumbled  in  upon  the  three 
mammoth  engines,  and  for  ten  days  and  ten  nights,  three  hun- 
dred thousand  people  suffered  from  the  want  of  pure  water,  even 
for  cooking  purposes,  many  being  obliged  to  content  themselves 
with  the  water  from  the  river.  Happily  the  canal  had  lately 


96 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


been  deepened,  which  caused  the  cool  pure  water  of  the  lake  to 
flow  towards  the  Mississippi ; and  the  South  branch  of  the  river 
was  sweet  and  pure  compared  to  what  it  had  been  one  year  ago. 
Even  at  this  time,  however,  it  was  water  only  to  be  used  in  cases 
of  necessity. 

Now  the  fire  advanced  without  enemy  to  oppose  it,  and  swept 
on  towards  the  cemetery  which  bounded  Lincoln  Park  on  the 
South.  The  fire  department  had  drawn  off  to  the  lake-shore, 
there  to  oppose  the  progress  of  the  rushing  whirlwind  of  fire  by 
another  mode  of  attack,  while  the  flames  were  swallowing  all  the 
buildings  in  the  direction  of  Lincoln  Park.  One  remarkably 
handsome  wooden  residence,  together  with  a fine  conservatory, 
were  spared,  however,  by  the  hungry  element  which  left  no  other 
building  standing  it  its  destroying  path.  The  ghoulish  flames 
even  battened  upon  the  tombs  and  monuments  in  the  burial 
ground,  cracking  and  calcining  marble  monuments,  licking  up 
wooden  crosses  and  signs,  and  even  devouring  the  trees  that 
shadowed,  and  the  grass  that  grew  upon  the  graves  of  the  dead. 
It  could  gain  no  hold,  however,  upon  the  green  foliage  and  shrub- 
bery of  Lincoln  Park,  whereupon  it  changed  its  course  to  the 
North-west.  It  licked  up  everything  until  it  reached  the  prairie, 
and  then  it  burned  up  acres  of  prairie  grass  and  trees.  All  the 
bridges  to  the  "West-side  soon  disappeared,  and  the  La  Salle 
street  tunnel,  which  communicated  with  the  South-side,  was  so 
heated  by  the  surrounding  flames,  that  at  the  entrances  on  both 
sides  of  the  river  the  iron  railings  were  twisted  and  bent  as 
though  w~arped  by  the  hands  of  a fiery  Vulcan,  and  the  rocks 
split  and  shivered  as  though  by  lightning.  As  long  as  the 
bridges  remained  intact,  they  were  covered  with  fugitives  and 
vehicles  of  every  description.  But  soon  the  only  means  of 
communication  with  the  North,  South,  and  West  sides  of  the 
river  was  cut  off,  and  fugitives  could  only  obtain  succor  through 
vessels  along  the  lake-shore,  or  by  a circuitous  route  to  the  re- 
moter bridges,  which  were  soon  as  crowded  with  fugitives  as  the 
others  had  been.  And  so  the  fire  rushed  on  with  its  appallingly 
rapid  work  of  destruction,  until  the  prairie  about  the  city  was 
crowded  with  homeless  men,  women,  and  children,  without  shel- 
ter, food  or  drink. 

As  long  as  liquor  could  be  obtained  many  men  drank  freely, 
and  not  a few  fell  in  a state  of  sleepy  intoxication  upon  the 


PANIC  STRICKEN  CITIZENS  CARRYING  THE  AOEJD.  SICK  AND  HEEl’EESS  AND  ENDEAVORING  TO  SAVE  I’ AMID Y TREASURES 


99 


l 

CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 

scorching  pavement,  little  heeding  the  swiftly  approaching  and 
their  terrible  death.  Alcohol  had  deadened  their  conscious- 
ness of  all  things.  Then  the  roar  of  the  red  flames  grew  louder 
and  Louder,  and  the  earth-shaking  crash  of  falling  buildings 
sounded  nearer  and  nearer,  till  the  scorching  pavement  upon 
which  they  lay  seemed  to  rock  beneath  the  terrible  weight  of 
the  falling  walls,  but  they  slept  on  under  the  red  rain  of  fire,  till 
they  became  as  the  ashes  which  fell  upon  them. 

The  gutters  of  the  sidewalks  and  roads  were  frequently  filled 
with  blazing  whiskey,  alcohol,  petroleum,  or  other  inflammable 
fluids,  which  ran  in  streams  of  curling  blue  fire,  or  dancing  red 
flames  down  the  pavements.  In  several  places  the  tar  between 
the  seams  of  the  newly-laid  wooden  pavements  caught  fire  and 
blazed  from  end  to  end ; yet  with  few  exceptions  the  wooden 
pavements  proved  a success  and  still  remain  in  a marvellous 
state  of  preservation.  The  flagged  pavements  did  not  escape 
so  well,  and  the  huge  stones  cracked  and  splintered  in  the  vast 
heat.  Brick  is  the  material  that  best  endured  the  terrible  or- 
deal ; indeed,  the  greater  part  of  the  brick  is  still  serviceable  for 
building  purposes.  But  marble  was  burnt  to  quicklime,  free- 
stone and  limestone  crumbled  and  splintered,  iron  melted  and 
trickled  like  lava  among  the  glowing  ruins,  and  strong  iron  pil- 
lars were  twisted  and  warped  into  strangely  fantastic  shapes. 

The  rails  of  the  street-railways  were  subjected  to  such  terrible 
heat,  from  the  blazing  buildings  on  either  side  of  the  street,  that 
they  were  raised  in  the  middle  from  six  to  twelve^  inches  and 
even  two  feet  above  the  ground,  the  center  bolts  being  drawn  and 
those  at  the  ends  remaining  undetached. 

Anything  combustible  would  of  course  be  burnt  to  a cinder  by 
the  mere  heat  of  that  awful  furnace,  even  though  the  actual  flames 
had  left  it  untouched.  One  curious  fact  with  regard  to  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  various  kinds  of  pavements  endured  the  heat, 
which  is  chronicled  by  the  Journal  of  Commercef  is  well  worthy  of 
record.  “ On  the  north-west  comer  of  the  Court-House  Square 
is  now  to  be  seen  artificial  stone  flagging,  perfect,  while  the  sand- 
stone on  both  sides  of  it,  and  also  the  curbing,  are  entirely  des- 
troyed.’* But  we  are  also  told  that  even  where  the  rails  were 
lifted  frpm  the  center  of  the  streets  and  bent  like  a bow,  from  the 
terrific  heat,  the  wooden  pavements  remain  materially  uninjured. 

The  panic  of  that  great  multitude  was  truly  terrible.  With,  in 


100  THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 

some  instances,  fire  on  tliree  sides  of  them,  they  rushed  to  the 
waters  of  the  lakes  and  dashed  the  liquid  over  themselves  to 
keep  their  garments  from  being  burned  by  the  shower  of  falling 
fire  or  the  intense  heat  of  blazing  buildings.  The  cattle  rushed 
blindly  about  bellowing  with  terror  and  trampling  upon  men,  wo- 
men and  children.  Rats,  cats,  pigs,  and  dogs,  rushed  among  the 
crowd  uttering  cries  of  terror.  Flocks  of  pigeons  rose  in  the 
red  glare  and  sought  safety  in  flight  until  scorched  by  the  fearful 
heat,  bewildered  and  blinded  by  the  terrible  rain  of  fire,  and  the 
stifling  smoke,  they  fell  back  into  the  blaze.  Horses,  maddened 
with  terror,  shrieked  with  that  horrible  shriek  which  is  never  for- 
gotten by  those  who  have  once  heard  it,  kicked  and  plunged, 
and  often  lay  down  in  their  harness  under  the  rain  of  sparks, 
foaming  at  the  mouth,  and  shivering  in  every  limb.  Perhaps  the 
roar  of  the  fire  was  even  more  appalling  than  the  spectacle. 

The  thieves  had,  as  the  popular  phrase  goes,  “ a fine  time.” 
Among  the  struggling,  cursing,  praying,  shrieking  crowd,  their 
nimble  fingers  worked  unceasingly,  and  we  have  no  doubt  they 
reaped  a rich  harvest.  It  is  tolerably  certain,  however,  that 
many  of  them  perished  in  burning  houses,  where,  in  their  eager- 
ness to  obtain  booty,  they  remained  until  after  every  chance  of 
escape  had  been  cut  off.  The  police  at  such  a time  were  almost 
powerless  to  act,  and  crime  was,  perforce,  permitted  to  revel  in 
well-nigh  unrestrained  freedom  for  a while.  Under  the  guise  of 
friendship,  sharpers  would  frequently  volunteer  to  take  charge  of 
valuable  goods,  which,  of  course,  were  never  again  seen  by  their 
rightful  owners.  The  hack-drivers  were  little  better  than  swind- 
lers, charging  from  fifty  to  a hundred  and  fifty  dollars  fare — even 
to  crippled  invalids. 

The  reports  of  incendiarism,  hanging,  shooting,  and  summary 
popular  vengeance,  or  mob-law,  are  probably  without  foundation, 
or,  at  least,  may  be  regarded  as  imperfectly  substantiated.  Sev- 
eral very  horrible,  and  numerous  romantically  dreadful  stories? 
have  been  circulated,  we  believe,  by  the  lovers  of  the  sensational. 
That  a mob,  under  such  circumstances,  and  in  such  a state  of 
half-mad  terror  and  frantic  despair,  would  not  hesitate  to  execute 
summary  vengeance  upon  any  parties  who  might  be  even  slightly 
suspected  of  incendiarism,  is  pretty  certain.  But  the  accounts 
of  this  nature  lack  evidence  and  can  hardly  be  credited  for  want 
of  proper  substantiation.  With  regard  to  romance,  however,  there 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


101 


hare  certainly  occurred  more  hair-breadth  escapes  and  thrilling 
incidents  than  would  fill  a large  volume,  and  these,  too,  of  such 
a nature  as  would  vie  with  the  wildest  fancies  of  the  sensation- 
alist. 

Twelve  hours  after  the  first  alarm  on  Sunday  night,  the  greater 
part  of  Chicago  was  dust  and  ashes.  The  fire  soon  began  to 
work  south  against  the  wind,  actually  traveling  along  State  street 
and  Wabash  avenue  with  almost  as  fatal  swdftness  as  where  the 
burning  gale  helped  it  along.  It  is  curious,  too,  that  the  wind 
seemed  to  veer  and  blow  from  all  points  south,  east  and  west  as 
the  fire  proceeded,  but  the  prevailing  point  was  steadily  south. 
Here,  however,  Phil.  Sheridan  led  a forlorn  hope  against  the 
flames,  and  began  to  oppose  their  progress  in  a new  and  yet 
more  efficient  manner.  Powder  was  brought  from  the  arsenal 
and  buildings  blowm  up  all  along  the  line  of  fire,  but  it  was  only 
by  superhuman  efforts  that  the  fire  was  last  checked  at  Harrison 
street. 

The  sufferings  of  the  women  and  children  no  pen  can  depict. 
The  terrible  shock  brought  on  premature  delivery  in  numerous 
instances.  It  is  said  that  between  four  and  five  hundred  children 
were  born  within  twenty-four  hours  after  the  fire,  and  many  an 
infant’s  first  cry  was  heard  by  the  bleak  lake  shore,  or  upon  the 
cheerless  prairie,  on  that  terrible  night.  Many  of  the  little  suf- 
ferers born  under  a sky  of  flame,  and  many  a fair  and  delicate 
woman,  perished  before  the  sun  had  risen  upon  the  smoking 
ruins.  A great  number  of  children  and  young  women  were  com- 
pelled to  fly  in  their  night-clothes,  and  died  from  the  consequent 
exposure.  In  the  fire  itself,  probably  nearly  two  hundred  souls 
perished,  and  the  total  loss  of  life,  from  all  causes  connected  with 
the  fire,  must  come  to  nearly  a thousand. 

The  telegraph  operators  stuck  to  their  posts  with  an  unshrink- 
ing heroism  well  worthy  of  record,  until  the  flames  had  snapped, 
curled  up,  and  whitened  the  wires,  consumed  the  poles,  and  even 
destroyed  the  lamp-posts  at  the  comers  of  the  streets. 

Before  the  fire  had  ceased,  except  where  the  coal  piles  con- 
tinued to  blaze  furiously  and  the  shivering  thousands  returned 
to  look  upon  the  ruins  of  their  homes,  the  city  was  placed  for  a 
time  under  martial  law.  Sheridan  brought  down  troops,  the 
command  of  the  city  being  given  into  his  hands,  and  Allan  Pink- 
erton issued  orders  to  shoot  all  thieves,  incendiaries,  or  male- 


102 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


factors,  without  mercy.  It  was  -a  timely  order,  roughs,  thieves, 
sharpers,  swindlers,  robbers,  burglars,  came  from  all  quarters  like 
vultures  to  prey  upon  the  corpse  of  Chicago.  But  after  the 
panic  was  over,  and  the  authorities  were  enabled  to  give  their  un- 
divided attention  to  the  preservation  of  law  and  public  order, 
these  rascals  found  themselves  utterly  baffled. 

When  the  news  of  the  terrible  fire  flashed  along  the  glowing 
wires  to  St.  Louis,  Cincinnati,  and  Louisville,,  the  horror  of  the 
announcement  lay  like  a nightmare  shadow  upon  every  heart  and 
brain — when  even  the  last  means  of  communicating  with  the  sis- 
ter cities  was  cut  off,  the  alarm  almost  grew  into  a panic.  A 
whole  city  on  fire  in  the  North-west ! Five  square  miles  of 
splendid  buildings  roaring  to  the  skies  in  flames ! Five  hundred 
millions  worth  of  property  destroyed ! Thousands  homeless, 
thousands  starving,  breadless,  dying,  millionaires  reduced  to  beg- 
gars ! The  richest  city  of  the  west,  whose  wonderous  speedy 
growth  and  prosperity  was  the  admiration  of  the  whole  land, 
even  of  its  rivals,  turned  into  a hell  of  fire  ! Such  was  the  news 
which  appeared  on  the  bulletin  boards  of  every  daily  newspaper 
office,  surrounded  by  awe-struck,  sympathizing  crowds. 

For  an  instant  all  was  horror,  astonishment,  and  terror.  Then 
the  trance  was  broken  by  the  cry  of  “ give  us  food,  give  us  shelter, 
as  you  are  men  and  brothers.  Our  beautiful  city,  of  which  the 
world  wras  proud,  is  gone.  Our  women  and  children  are  dying, 
without  food,  shelter,  or  money.  Help  us  in  our  terrible  afflic- 
tion.” And  then  the  great  sympathy  of  millions  awoke,  the  sis- 
ter cities  forgot  all  petty  rivalries,  and  nobly  set  to  work  to  res- 
cue the  desolate  people.  Firemen  and  engines  poured  from  all 
quarters  to  the  scene  of  smoke  and  flame.  Money,  food,  and 
clothing,  came  in  plenty,  and  the  mother  country,  too,  poured 
forth  her  gold,  remembering  that  the  new  world  had  sent  succor 
to  the  old  in  the  day  of  need.  The  Nineteenth  century  showed 
it  had  a heart. 

The  fire  consumed  nearly  3,200  acres,  or  nearly  5 square  miles. 
The  great  fires  of  London,  Moscow,  and  Constantinople,  all  com- 
bined, will  scarcely  equal  the  Chicago  fire  in  the  amount  of  space 
burned  over.  Nearly  twenty-five  thousand  buildings  of  all  dis- 
criptions  have  been  leveled  with  the  ground,  and  the  number  of 
human  beings  rendered  homeless  is  111,000  at  the  very  lowest 
calculation,  according  to  the  Journal  of  Commerce.  No  perfectly 


SCENE  ON  THE  CHICAGO  RIVER.  GRAIN  ELEVATORS  ON  FIRE. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


107 


reliable  estimate  of  the  amount  of  property  destroyed  has  yet 
been  made,  the  various  reckonings  ranging  from  one  hundred  to 
five  hundred  millions  of  dollars.  Many  of  the  most  accurate  cal- 
culations have  unanimously  agreed  on  placing  the  loss  occasioned, 
by  destruction  of  property,  and  damage  to  business,  at  from  three  to 
four  hundred  millions  of  dollars,  on  which  there  was,  according 
to  the  “ Underwriter,”  nearly  $100,000,000,  insurance. 

The  richest  and  finest  portion  of  the  city  has  been,  as  our 
readers  must  perceive,  utterly  swept  away,  nothing  but  blackened 
heaps  of  brick,  stone  and  iron  being  visible.  The  only  buildings 
left  standing  between  the  river  and  the  lake,  and  the  river  and 
Madison  street,  are  the  Lind  block,  at  the  corner  of  Randolph 
and  Market  streets,  Hathaway’s  coal-office  and  one  of  the  Buck- 
ingham elevators  on  the  lake  shore.  The  destruction  of  five  of 
the  great  elevators  alone  involved  an  enormous  loss. 

THE  ELEVATOBS. 

Chicago  possessed  seventeen  elevators  at  the  time  of  the  great 
fire,  with  a storage  capacity  for  over  eleven  millions  and  a half 
bushels  of  grain.  The  fire  consumed  five  of  these  with  their 
contents,  amounting  to  1,600,000  bushels,  of  all  kinds  of  grain — 
principally  corn.  The  elevators  destroyed  include  the  “ Hiram 
Wheeler”  with  a capacity  of  500,000  bushels  ; “ Munger  & Ar- 
mor’s Galena — 600,000  bushels;  “Illinois  Central  A,”  700,000 
bushels ; and  the  “ Union,”  700,000  bushels.  The  remaining 
elevators  however  contain  about  5,000,000  bushels  which  is  more 
than  sufficient  for  all  present  wants. 

PUBLIC  BUILDINGS. 

The  Court-House  walls  have  successfully  resisted  the  fire  in 
the  wings,  although  the  central  portion  must  be  rebuilt,  and  the 
dome,  with  the  famous  electric  clock,  has  been  completely  des- 
troyed. The  massive  walls  of  the  water  works  building  are  al- 
most uninjured.  With  the  exception  of  the  Michigan  Avenue 
Hotel,  and  a few  others,  the  great  hotels  of  Chicago  are  re- 
duced to  heaps  of  mortar,  calcined  marble,  bricks  and  broken 
iron.  The  Pacific  Hotel  had  been  almost  completed  at  a cost 
of  nearly  a million  when  the  huge  flames  rushed  into  its  four- 
teen hundred  rooms  and  roared  out  of  its  numberless  windows. 
The  building  occupied  an  entire  square,  was  eight  stories  in 
height,  and  calculated  when  furnished  to  accommodate  two 


108 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


thousand  guests.  It  made  perhaps  the  grandest  spectacle  of 
the  great  fire.  Besides  the  Pacific  and  St.  James  Hotel,  the 
Sherman,  Palmer,  Tremont,  Briggs,  Everett,  Clifton,  Orient, 
Oldridge  and  other  houses  fell  a prey  to  the  flames. 

The  brewers  suffered  terribly,  nothing  being  saved  of  their 
huge  establishments  but  a portion  of  the  stock  in  the  beer 
vaults.  Moreover,  the  insurance  on  the  property  was  generally 
light. 

BREWERIES  DESTROYED. 


Bill’s  Brewing  Company $500,000 

J.  A.  Huck 400,000 

Sand’s  Brewing  Company 335,000 

Bush  & Brand 250,000 

Buffalo  Brewery 150,000 

Schmid,  Katz  & Co 60,000 

Metz  & Stage , 80,000 

Boyle  Bros.  & Co 45,000 

Moeller  Bros 20,000 

K.  Gr.  Schmidt 90,000 

Schmidt  & Bender 25,000 

George  Hiller 35,000 

Mitivet  & Puoptel * 12,000 

John  Behringer 15,000 

J.  Miller 8,000 

William  Bowman 5,000 

J ohn  Wagner 5,000 


Total $2,025,000 


The  above  loss  includes,  of  course,  the  destruction  of  ice- 
houses, malt-houses,  stables,  cooper  and  blacksmith  shops  con- 
nected with  the  establishments,  which  were  utterly  reduced  to 
ashes. 

FIELD,  LEITER  AND  CO’S 

Monster  store  only  caught  fire  at  day  break.  For  more  than  an 
hour  and  a half  several  hundred  men  did  all  in  their  power  to 
save  it  from  the  advancing  ocean  of  flame.  The  building  occu- 
pied an  entire  block,  and  from  its  isolated  position,  and  its  sur- 
roundings, being  all  vast  structures  of  iron  and  marble,  it  was 
hoped  that  it  might  be  saved.  But  the  buildings  on  the  oppo- 
site sides  of  the  square,  burst  into  furious  flames,  melting  the 
great  business  blocks  as  though  formed  of  wax  and  timber,  and 
the  heat  became  like  that  of  Nebuchadnezzar’s  furnace.  Then 
the  largest  dry-goods  house  in  the  West  had  to  be  left  to  its 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  109 

fate,  and  the  flames  were  soon  rioting  among  2,000,000  dollars’ 
worth  of  costly  winter  stock. 

banks  &c. 

There  is  not  a single  one  of  these  buildings  left  intact  in  Chi- 
cago. The  bank  vaults  have,  however,  resisted  the  flames  with 
success.  The  principal  Telegraph  offices  were  all  consumed. 
All  the  records  of  deeds  and  mortgages — all  the  real  estate  titles, 
have  been  destroyed.  The  abstracts  of  titles  in  the  office  of 
Shortale  & Hoard,  conveyancers,  were  luckily  saved. 

LAWYERS. 

There  is  not  a law-office,  or  law-library,  left  in  Chicago,  nor 
an  indictment  in  existence  in  the  country  against  anybody,  nor 
a judgment,  nor  a petition  in  bankruptcy.  Duplicate  files  of  im- 
portant cases  which  the  lawyers  kept  in  their  offices  are  like- 
wise destroyed. 

DISTILLERIES. 

But  three  Distrilleries  remain  in  running  order.  The  estab- 
lishments owned  by  Thomas  Lynch,  Graefft,  Boclle  & Co.,  Dick- 
inson, Leech  & Co.,  Keller  Distilling  Company,  Kirchoff  and 
Shufeldt’s  rectifying  works  were  consumed. 

COAL  YARDS. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  fuel  in  Chicago  will  be  dear  and  scarce 
during  the  winter.  Every  coal  yard  in  the  city  caught  fire,  and 
vast  piles  laid  in  for  winter  were  utterly  destroyed.  The  coal 
stock  of  Rogers  & Co.,  (lower  yard),  Robert  Law,  Dyer  & Paynes, 
Holbrook,  W.  Johnson,  Sydacker,  Goit  & Curtiss,  Sweet  & Wil- 
liams, Richardson  & Pratt  Bros. — amounting  to  about  50,000  tons 
of  soft  coal,  and  10,000  of  hard  coal,  insured — was  totally  lost. 
Pive  considerable  winter  stores  of  coal  were,  however,  saved,  in- 
cluding Roger  & Co.’s  upper  yards. 

NEWSPAPER  OFFICES. 

The  offices  of  no  less  than  eighty-five  newspapers  and  periodi- 
cals were  consumed.  Several  dailies  reappeared  in  very  small 
size  soon  after  the  fire,  and  since  that  time  many  of  them  have 
attained  their  former  size.  The  Tribune , Post , Republican , Staats- 
Zeitung , Mail , Times  and  Journal  offices  were  amo^g  the  finest 
offices  destroyed.  The  Tribune  Building  was  the  last  to  succumb 
to  the  flames  by  several  hours,  indeed  it  was  considered  one 


110 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


of  the  most  thoroughly  fire-proof  buildings  in  Chicago.  It  was, 
moreover,  one  of  the  chief  architectural  beauties  of  the  city. 
Every  partition  wall  in  the  whole  structure  was  of  brick,  the 
ceilings  were  of  corrugated  iron  beams.  It  was  erected  in  1869, 
at  a cost  of  not  less  than  $225,000,  and  was  seemingly  so 
thoroughly  secure  that  the  Tribune  Company  had  taken  no 
insurance.  On  the  first  floor  was  the  fire-proof  vault,  safes,  &c,f 
and  the  basement  contained  the  engines,  with  two  of  Hoe’s  eight 
cylinder  presses,  with  several  folding  machines,  quantities  of 
paper,  &c.  The  building  was  completely  gutted  from  roof  to 
basement,  and  the  loss  of  contents  alone  cannot  have  been  less 
than  $100,000.  The  fire-proof  vault  of  the  Tribune,  however, 
proved  perfectly  trustworthy,  and  everything  in  it,  even,  a box  of 
matches,  was  found  intact. 

V 

CITY  PROPERTY. 

The  following  estimate  of  losses  of  city  property  under  the  ju- 
risdiction of  the  Board  of  Public  Works  is  given  by  Commis- 
sioner Redmond  Prindiville,  who  has  devoted  considerable  atten- 
tion to  the  subject.  This  estimate  does  not  include  the  school- 
houses,  engine-houses  and  apparatus,  police  stations,  sidewalks, 
&c.  The  item  of  sidewalks  only  referring  to  those  in  front  of 
city  property,  together  with  all  street  and  alley  crossings,  which 
are  constructed  by  the  Board  of  Public  Works.  The  item  of  the 
City  Hall  embraces  only  the  west  half  of  the  Court-house,  the  re- 
mainder being  owned  by  the  county.  The  list  is  as  follows: 


City  Hall,  including  furniture $470,000 

Water  Works  engines 15,000 

Water  Works  buildings  and  tools 20,000 

Rush  strret  bridge 15,000 

State  street  bridge 15,000 

Clark  street  bridge. 13,000 

Wells  street  bridge 15,000 

Chicago  avenue  bridge 26,700 

Adams  street  bridge 37,800 

Van  Buren  street  bridge 13,470 

Polk  street  bridge 29,450 

Washington  street  tunnel 2,000 

La  Salle  street  tunnel 1,800 

Lamp  posts 25,000 

Fire  hydrants 15,000 

Street  pavements 250,000 

Sidewalks  and  crossings 70,000 

Reservoirs 15,000 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  Ill 

Docks 10,000 

Sewers 10,000 

Water  service 15.000 

Total $1,085,080 


The  schooner  Stampede  and  the  bark  Glenbendal,  with  several 
other  crafts,  were  burned  in  the  river  and  in  the  dry  dock,  and 
two  steam  fire-engines  at  least,  viz.,  Long  John,  and  A.  C.  Cov- 
entry, were  destroyed  by  the  flames  on  the  West-side,  being  caught 
among  the  burning  buildings. 

The  walls  of  the  Custom  House,  the  First  National  Bank,  and 
the  Tribune  building,  are  yet  standing,  but  it  is  doubtful  whether 
they  will  be  serviceable  again.  Nearly  all  the  mail  matters  were 
secured  from  the  Custom  House  building.  Bank  safes  were  ter- 
ribly heated,  to  such  an  extent,  in  fact,  that  in  several  instances 
gold  was  melted  into  a solid  mass,  and  notes  reduced  to  ashes. 
Several  packages  of  postage  stamps,  worth  about  $100,000,  pre- 
sented a curious  appearance  upon  being  taken  from  one  of  the 
safes.  The  gum-adhesive  had  'become  heated  and  the  sheets 
were  soldered  together  into  masses  as  hard  as  wooden  or  com- 
position blocks. 

ADDITIONAL  LOSSES. 

As  has  been  previously  mentioned  accounts  vary  as  to  the  des- 
truction of  property  in  Chicago,  estimates  varying  from  150,000, 
000  to  more  than  double  that  amount.  But  certain  it  is  that  over 
sixty  miles  of  streets,  and  more  than  20,000  buildings  have  been 
utterly  and  completely  destroyed.  Fifty  million  feet  of  lumber 
have  been  consumed,  together  with  thousands  of  tons  of  coal. 
The  stock  of  leather  was  reduced  about  one  quarter,  $95,000 
worth  being  burnt. 

Cyrus  McCormick  the  manufacturer  of  the  “ reaper  and  mower 
machines,”  was  perhaps  the  heaviest  individual  sufferer  by  the 
fire,  losing,  independently  of  insurance,  no  less  than  three  mil- 
lions. William  B.  Ogden,  who  also  lost  considerable  property  in 
the  great  Wisconsin  fires,  suffered  to  the  amount  of  two  millions. 
Potter  Palmer  was  said  to  have  lost  the  incredible  amount  of  ten 
millions,  and  really  loses  at  least  a fifth  part  of  that  amount. 
John  V.  Farwell  and  John  Young  Scammon  lost  respectively 
$1,500,000  and  $1,000,000.  Several  other  eminent  millionaires 
lost  similar  amounts. 


112 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


The  city  of  Chicago  must  have  lost  at  least  five  millions  in 
public  buildings,  bridges,  destruction  to  fire-engines,  &c.,  none  ot 
which  property  was  insured.  The  loss  by  damage  to  street  im- 
provements, sidewalks,  pavements,  &c.,  falls  upon  the  owners  of 
building  property.  This  is  probably  about  the  heaviest  loss  of 
all. 

Only  about  50,000  people  have  left  the  city,  leaving  it  still  with 
a population  of  over  280,000.  The  shrewdest  business  men  of 
the  West  are  all  confident  that  in  less  than  five  years  the  com- 
merce and  prosperity  of  Chicago  will  be  even  greater  than  it  had 
been  previous  to  the  fire. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  church  lost  over  $295,000  worth  of 
property,  insured  for  about  $80,000.  Eight  school-houses  were 
destroyed,  the  loss  on  which  aggregates  $290,000.  The  churches 
burned  on  the  North-side  were  the  North  Presbyterian,  West- 
minister Presbyterian,  Grace  Methodist,  Moody’s  Mission,  St. 
Janie’s  Cathedral  of  the  Holy  Name,  St.  Joseph’s,  with  the  Or- 
phan Asylum,  and  Convent  of  the  Immaculate  Conception,  St. 
Ausgine’s,  New  England,  Unity,  Fullerton  avenue  Presbyterian, 
and  one  or  two  other  smaller.  On  the  Southern  Division  the  fol- 
lowing were  consumed : First  and  Second  Presbyterian,  St.  Paul, 
Trinity,  Swedenborgian,  St.  Mary’s,  Wabash  avenue  Methodist, 
and  First  Methodist  Churches. 

Thousands  of  valuables,  that  cannot  be  replaced,  were  of  course 
consumed.  The  original  Emancipation  Proclamation  of  Lincoln, 
and  a statue  of  that  President,  being  the  only  one  for  which  he 
ever  sat,  have  been  destroyed.  The  losses  involved  by  the  des- 
truction of  the  Court-house  are  irreparable,  and  among  them 
one  of  the  most  important  is  the  destruction  of  all  of  Pinkerton’s 
Criminal  records,  &c. 

Allan  Pinkerton  has  long  been  famous  as  the  “ champion  thief- 
catcher”  of  the  States,  and  his  reputation  was  the  result  of  years 
of  patient,  succesful  toil,  and  energy.  His  detective  agency  was 
as  famous  as  the  Boston  Common,  and  besides  the  central  office 
at  Chicago,  there  were  branches  at  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 
This  agency  was  first  started  in  1852  at  Chicago,  and  two  years 
later  the  famous  records  were  commenced.  The  most  minute  de- 
tails of  every  case  were  carefully  recorded,  the  statement  of  the 
applicant  seeking  for  assistance  to  recover  his  lost  property,  the 
names  of  the  detectives  employed,  his  orders,  and  reports  of  his 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AXD  AS  IT  IS. 


113 


operations — in  a word,  every  detail  of  the  case,  even  to  the  testi- 
mony given  in  court,  and  the  sentence  of  the  prisoner.  More 
than  $50,000  had  been  paid  for  clerical  work  alone  upon  this 
matter,  which  filled  no  less  than  four  hundred  huge  volumes  of 
great  value.  The  greater  portion  of  these  were  placed  in  six  of 
Harris’  safes,  and  some  of  them  in  wooden  cases.  They  were 
all  burnt. 

Pinkerton  had  been  offered  $30,000  by  the  Goverment  for  fifty- 
nine  large  volumes  containing  complete  records  of  the  secret 
service  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  They  were  the  only  set  in 
existence,  and  valued  by  their  owner  at  $50,000.  Negotiations 
for  the  transfer  of  these  volumes  were  still  going  on  when  the  fire 
broke  out  and  reduced  them  all  to  tinder. 

The  reports  of  the  night  police  occupied  forty  great  volumes, 
of  enormous  value.  There  were  forty-eight  patrolmen  whose 
duty  it  was  to  report  everything  that  had  happened  on  their  respec- 
tive beats,  as  well  as  the  state  of  the  weather  and  other  important 
particulars.  They  were  frequently  consulted  in  court  proceed- 
ings for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  information  as  regards  the 
weather,  the  condition  of  the  streets,  the  presence  or  absence  of 
the  moon,  and  policemen.  Only  two  of  these  huge  volumes  were 
saved.  There  were,  likewise,  105  volumes  of  files  of  all  the  daily 
and  weekly  papers  since  1854.  Pinkerton  had  printed  instruc- 
tions pasted  all  around  the  walls,  ordering  *the  men  to  remove 
these  valuable  articles  first  of  all  in  case  of  fire,  but  before  they 
could  be  lowered  into  the  wagon  the  flames  compelled  the  men 
to  flee  for  their  lives.  Thus  the  work  of  more  than  twenty  years 
was  destroyed  in  about  half  an  hour. 

The  Chicago  Tribune  declared,  in  an  editorial  after  the  fire, 
that  there  was  no  necessity  for  any  able-bodied  man  to  leave 
Chicago.  This  is  certainly  true.  There  was  and  is  plenty  of 
work  for  hundreds  more  at  present.  Quite  a number  of  merchants 
intend  building  up  their  business  edifices  shortly,  and  many  are 
already  in  course  of  erection. 


j3ui\NING 


Pity. 


BY  N.  S.  EMERSON. 


Calm  and  still,  in  her  strength  and  pride: 

The  City  lay,  like  a sleeping  bride, 

The  stars  turned  pale  in  the  Eastern  sky, 

And  slipped  out  of  sight,  for  the  morn  was  nigh, 
When  up  through  the  twilight,  cool  and  grey, 
Burned  a ruddier  light  than  the  dawning  day, 
Arid  a cry  rang  out  on  the  startled  air, 

“ The  City  is  burning!”  “Burning?  Where?” 
“ The  City  is  burning!  Burning  ! There!” 
And  swift  feet  hurried  forward  and  fro, 

And  strong  hands  fought  with  the  awful  foe  ; 
Fought  till  the  golden  banners  fell, 

And  flames  and  embers  were  smothered  well. 

All  day  long  had  the  battle  raged, 

All  day  long  had  the  strife  been  waged, 

And  the  weary  fireman  slept  at  night, 

Calmly,  thinking  that  all  was  right. 

Nine  o’clock!  Ten  o’clock!  Eleven  ! went  by, 
And  still  no  cloud  stained  the  clear  blue  sky; 
But  scarce  had  the  clang  of  the  midnight  bells 
Been  hushed  in  softly  echoing  swells, 

When  loud  their  fierce  alarm  arose, 

And  banished  every  eye’s  repose. 

Again  the  city  was  on  fire. 

The  red  flames  sprang  like  serpents,  higher 
From  roof  to  tower,  from  tower  to  spire, 

Great  golden  surges  throbbed  and  beat, 

And  roiled  and  hissed  from  street  to  street; 
Stern  granite  walls,  we  had  builded  well, 

In  one  wild  hour  to  ashes  fell, 

And  household  treasures,  cherished  long, 

Were  swallowed  by  that  dragon  strong. 


118 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


In  anguish,  which  we  may  not  speak, 
Which  dries  the  tear  drop  on  the  cheek, 
And  makes  all  words  seem  vain  and  weak; 
We  watched  that  night  of  horror  through. 
Watched  till  again  the  dawning  grew 
To  broader  light  of  perfect  day, 

And  then  beheld  our  city  lay, 

Blackened  and  shrivelled,  ruined,  lost, 

In  that  stupendous  Holocaust. 

We  looked  into  each  others  eyes, 

Too  dumbly  stricken  for  surprise, 

And  said  we’ve  but  escaped  the  fire, 

“ To  starve  upon  our  funeral  pyre.” 

But  when  we  saw  the  young,  the  fair, 

Our  helpless  loved  ones  gathered  there, 
We  raised  one  piteous  wailing  cry, 

“ Help  us,  or  we  shall  surely  diel” 

From  Orient  to  Occident 
The  echo  of  our  anguish  went, 

And  Occident  and  Orient 
Made  answer  as  with  one  intent; 

They  gave  and  gave,  and  still  had  more 
To  give  from  Loves’  exhaustless  store. 

As  flowers  give  perfume  sweet  and  rare. 
Unbidden  to  the  evening  air, 

As  clouds  give  raindrops  bounteous, 

So  did  the  world  give  help  to  us. 

From  town  and  city,  far  and  near, 

Came  deeds  of  kindness,  words  of  cheer, 
And  hearts  bowed  down  in  sorrow,  then. 
In  sweet  surprise  grew  strong  again. 

For  He  who  walked  of  old  on  earth, 

Is  with  us  in  this  later  birth : 

We  lost  Him  in  our  greed  for  pelf, 

But  to  His  higher,  purer  Self, 

He  leads  us  through  this  golden  tide, 

And  thus  our  loss  is  glorified. 


Incidents,  Accidents, Tragedies, 
and  'Wonderful  Kscapes. 

A RECORD  OF  FACTS  STRANGER  THAN  ANY  FICTION. 


The  inquirer  for  incidents,  unless  insatiable,  is  quickly  sur- 
feited. Incidents  abound : and  they  comprise  a larger  variety 
than  was  ever  before  known  to  spring  from  a single  disaster. 
Those  of  a tragic  character  unfortunately  predominate,  in  which, 
“ sorrow,  like  an  ocean,  deep,  dark,  rough,  and  shoreless,  roll’d 
its  billows  o’er  the  souls”  of  ten  thousand  hapless  victims.  Some 
are  full  of  a sad  grotesqueness  that  force  an  equipoise  of  tears 
and  smiles,  but  the  great  volume  of  woe  is  appalling.  It  has 
already  crushed  many  a brave  heart,  and  destroyed  many  a noble 
intellect.  It  has  written  the  untimely  epitaph  of  the  highest 
worldly  hopes  and  loftiest  ambitions  of  men  of  enterprise  and 
worth,  in  the  several  departments  of  human  endeavor,  in  the 
ashes  of  their  achievements ! 

SUFFERINGS  OF  WOMEN. 

There  is  so  much  material  for  this  chapter  of  calamity,  the 
question  at  once  arises  as  to  what  shall  be  rejected,  that  it  may 
be  comprised  within  reasonable  limits.  At  the  best,  it  will  re- 
quire a very  stout  heart  to  read,  without  flinching,  what  are  herein 
set  down  as  verified  facts.  The  great  whirlwind  of  fire  was  no 
respector  of  persons,  and  did  not  accomodate  its  course  to  any 
of  the  desires  or  movements  of  our  people.  The  sick,  the  dying 
and  the  dead,  were  all  in  its  path,  and  consumed  by  its  torrid 
breath.  Many  women,  in  the  pains  of  childbirth,  driven  from 
shelter  by  the  flames,  were  found  away  out  on  the  prairies,  or  on 
the  shores  of  the  lake,  the  bleak  winds  chilling  them  and  extin- 
guishing the  new  life  just  ushered  into  the  world.  In  scores  of 
instances,  both  mother  and  child  were  dead,  without  attendance, 
and  unrecognized.  With  no  sympathising  friends,  no  helping 
hand,  no  eye  save  God’s,  to  witness  their  agony  and  despair,  they 
passed  to  “ a land  of  darkness  as  darkness  itself,  and  of  the  shad- 
ow of  death ; without  any  order,  and  where  the  light  is  darkness.” 
It  is  trebly  hard,  under  such  conditions, 

“ To  feel  the  hand  of  death  arrest  one’s  steps, 

Throw  a chill  blight  o’er  all  one’s  budding  hopes, 

And  hurl  one’s  soul  untimely  to  the  shades, 

Lost  in  the  gaping  gulf  of  black  oblivion.  ” 


120 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


The  daughter  of  an  eminent  clergyman  gave  birth  to  a child 
during  the  rush  and  panic  of  the  wild  flight  of  women  and  chil- 
dren along  the  lake  shore,  and  in  some  inexplicable  way  wras 
separated  from  her  friends,  and  neither  mother  nor  child  have 
been  found. 

A well-dressed  and  apparently  intelligent  lady,  running  away 
from  the  scorching  flames,  fell  down  in  Adams  street,  near  State. 
It  was  discovered  by  those  near  that  she  was  in  the  pains  of  la- 
bor, and  an  effort  made  to  convey  her  to  a place  of  safety.  She 
had  been  carried  scarcely  three  squares  when  she  expired  in 
great  agony. 

A lady  was  carried  out  of  the  Sherman  House  in  the  arms  of 
her  husband,  a new  born  babe  clasped  to  her  breast,  and  both 
died  in  the  arms  of  the  husband  and  father  before  reaching  a 
place  of  safety.  He  was  last  seen  marching  along  the  shore  of 
the  lake,  with  the  dead  woman  and  child  in  his  arms,  shouting, 
laughing,  and  blaspheming,  in  all  the  delirium  of  grief.  He  was 
unquestionably  burned  or  drowned. 

The  lake  shore  was  a scene  of  many  a blood-curdling  tragedy. 
A fine-looking  woman  of  commanding  presence,  and  almost  re- 
gal air,  was  observed  wading  in  the  shallow  water,  holding  twin 
babes  but  a few  hours  old  in  her  arms.  At  last  she  sank  upon 
the  shore  from  utter  exhaustion,  and  both  mother  and  children 
died  unrecognized  and  unattended,  and  two  days  after  were  buried 
by  the  city. 

A well  known  matron,  whose  husband  was  absent  from  the  city 
at  the  time  of  the  fire,  personally  superintended  the  packing  and 
securing  of  most  of  her  valuables,  (although  in  a condition  of  the 
utmost  delicacy  regarding  physical  health),  and  sent  them  to  a 
place  of  safety.  She  then  engaged  an  express  wagon,  at  an  enor- 
mous charge,  to  convey  her  to  the  residence  of  a friend  in  the 
West  Division  ; but,  in  consequence  of  her  unusual  exertions  dur- 
ing the  night,  the  excitement,  anxiety,  and  fatigue,  she  was  attacked 
with  labor  pains  shortly  after  leaving  her  residence,  and  found 
herself  compelled  to  lie  down  in  the  wagon.  Just  after  crossing 
Randolph  street  bridge  she  gave  birth  to  a living  child,  but  before 
reaching  her  destination  its  little  life  had  been  extinguished  by 
the  chilling  blast.  The  mother,  strong  and  healthy  before,  is  now 
an  invalid. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


121 


Among  women  of  the  baser  sort,  who  had  their  dens  and 
haunts  in  Wells,  Clark,  and  other  streets  in  the  burned  district, 
there  were  tragedies  innumerable,  and  probably  more  horrible 
deaths  than  among  people  occupying  ten  times  the  amount  of 
space  in  other  parts  of  the  city.  As  the  flames  attacked  their 
squalid  tenements,  they  were  seen  issuing  forth  scantily  clad, 
some  almost  nude,  many  in  a maudlin  stage  of  intoxication, 
others  rubbing  their  eyes  in  drowsy  stupidity — dismayed,  weep- 
ing, laughing,  cursing  and  singing.  One,  somewhat  intoxicated, 
carried  a young  child,  which  she  abandoned  before  walking  a sin- 
gle square  ; and  it  -would  have  been  consumed  had  not  a patrol- 
man rescued  it.  Another  carried  a bottle,  from  which  she 
quaffed  frequent  and  copious  draughts,  and,  despite  the  urging 
of  her  companions,  finally  lagged  behind,  and  was  left  to  her 
fate.  A young  girl  in  tawdry  attire,  after  emerging  from  a low 
Wells  street  hovel  that  had  just  ignited,  swore  she  would  sooner 
lose  her  life  than  her  gay  new  hat,  and  went  back  in  quest  of  it. 
She  did  not  return.  A painted  Jezebel  rushed  into  the  glowing 
street  from  a burning  house,  just  as  the  roof  commenced  falling, 
with  a large  feather-bed  in  her  arms.  She  was  clad  in  nothing 
but  a light  wrapper,  which  the  gale  swept  away  from  her  limbs, 
and,  ere  she  had  proceeded  many  steps  the  flames  seized  upon 
it.  The  bed  was  also  in  some  way  ignited,  and  in  an  instant  the 
woman  was  enveloped  in  a raging  bonfire.  People  hastened  to 
her  rescue,  but  she  had  inhaled  the  intense  caloric  into  a stom- 
ach already  heated  with  alcohol,  and  fell  dead  before  one  could 
reach  her.  A poor  depraved  creature  sat  in  an  attic  window 
of  a large  building  in  Clark  street,  chattering,  singing,  and  laugh- 
ing, while  the  flames  were  raging  through  every  part  of  the  struc- 
ture, even  in  the  room  she  occupied.  She  shouted  obscene  epi 
thets,  and  snatches  of  erotic  songs  to  the  people  below,  hurrahed 
for  the  fire  and  cursed  everything  else ; and,  finally,  as  the  huge 
walls  commenced  swaying  forward  and  back,  she  laughed  hide- 
ously, ending  in  a shriek  like  the  yell  of  a hyena,  as  the  im- 
mense pile  of  brick  and  mortar  came  thundering  to  the  ground, 
burying  her  beneath  its  tremendous  weight.  A great  number 
of  this  class  of  women  were  overtaken  in  the  slumber  of  intoxi- 
cation, smothered  and  roasted  without  consciousness  of  the 
calamity ; while  others,  tired  of  life,  made  no  exertion  to  save 
themselves,  and  perished  in  various  ways. 


122  THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 

Who  can  realize  the  excruciating  anguish  of  such  a moment  ? 

Physicians  testify  that  not  less  than  eight  hundred  cases  of 
premature  birth  have  already  been  made  known,  and  most  of 
them  involve  instances  of  suffering  that  no  strength  of  language 
can  adequately  describe.  The  poor  women,  away  from  their 
natural  protectors,  with  no  friends  at  hand,  and  without  even 
the  commonest  attention  from  strangers,  so  absorbed  was  every 
one  in  the  immediate  danger  to  life  and  property,  were  left,  in 
all  their  helplessness,  to  encounter  the  most  critical  period  in 
their  lives — rendered  a thousand  fold  more  momentous  by  the 
appalling  character  af  their  surroundings. 

A HEART-RENDING  MISTAKE. 

A family  was  just  rushing  from  their  smoking  residence,  that 
the  fire  had  only  that  moment  attacked,  when  the  wife  said  to 
her  husband. 

“ You  have  the  baby,  Charles?” 

“ No ; I thought  you  took  him.” 

“ Mary  has  him,  then?” 

“ Oli,  no  mem  ; I brought  the  silver.” 

The  babe  is  still  in  the  house,  and  the  father  rushes  back  to 
save  him.  The  half-distracted  mother,  supported  by  the  faith- 
ful servant,  awaits  his  return  in  an  agony  of  fear.  The  roof  is 
on  fire,  and  the  flames  are  just  bursting  from  the  upper  windows, 
when  he  appears  with  the  precious  bundle. 

“ I wrapped  him  closely,  so  he  would  not  inhale  the  smoke.” 

“ Is  he  asleep  ?” 

“Yes ; very  soundly.” 

“ Let’s  hurry  along  to  a safer  place  and  unwrap  his  face  or  he 
will  smother.” 

When  a little  remote  from  the  raging  flames  and  blinding 
smoke,  they  undid  the  carefully  guarded  parcel,  and  found 
within — nothing  but  a large  pillow ! The  child  had  been  left  to 
the  flames.  The  mother  understood  her  great  bereavement  on 
the  instant,  then  her  mind  darkened,  and  she  is  hopelessly  a 
maniac. 

AN  UNEXAMPLED  BEREAVEMENT. 

A prominent  business  man  returned  from  a trip  to  New  York 
on  the  second  day  after  the  fire.  He  had  been  enabled  to  obtain 
no  particulars  regarding  his  own  personal  disaster,  and  the  oc- 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


123 


cular  demonstration  of  the  ruin  of  his  home  and  warehouses 
preceeded  all  verbal  intimation  of  the  facts.  Of  his  elegant  res- 
idence nothing  was  left  but  the  smoking  stones  of  the  founda- 
tion, and  a few  warped  iron  pillars  marked  the  spot  where  he  had 
left  a commodious  and  well-filled  business  house.  He  inquired 
for  his  family.  Nobody  could  furnish  the  desired  information. 
His  brother  had  lived  in  another  part  of  the  city,  and  he  con- 
cluded they  must  be  there.  He  went  to  see,  but  found  only  the 
ruins  of  the  household  shrines.  A cousin  living  two  miles  in  an- 
other direction  must  have  furnished  them  refuge,  but,  on  search- 
ing that  locality,  he  discovered  the  fire  fiend  had  not  spared  him 
even  this  hope,  and  his  investigation  from  that  time  forth  was  di- 
rected to  a general  search,  and  advertisements  in  the  newspa- 
pers, but,  up  to  the  moment  of  this  writing,  without  result.  No 
tidings  whatever  from  his  wife  and  children,  none  from  his 
brother,  none  from  the  cousin  ; and  the  poor  man  is  now  driven 
to  the  belief  that  all  were  utterly  destroyed ! 

GEORGE  HOWARD. 

A bright  little  fellow,  only  eleven  years  of  age,  was  the  hero  of 
the  following  incident:  His  parents  moved  from  New  York  to 
Chicago  abouts  two  months  before  the  fire.  Here  the  father 
started  in  the  merchant  tailoring  business,  and  wras  getting  along 
comfortably.  They  lived  on  Randolph  street,  and  when  they 
retired  to  bed  on  the  second  night  of  the  conflagration,  there  was 
no  fear  entertained  by  the  people  of  that  locality  that  the  flames 
would  reach  them.  The  little  fellow,  who  gives  his  name  as 
George  Howard,  says  he  was  aroused  from  his  sleep  by  the  heat, 
and  when  he  opened  his  eyes  found  their  building  on  fire,  and  the 
windows  already  in  flames.  He  jumped  up,  awakened  his  father, 
and  mother,  and  told  them  of  the  danger.  The  heat  at  this  time 
was  intense,  and  George  managed  to  save  himself  by  jumping 
through  one  of  the  burning  wmdows,  which  was  in  the  second 
story,  down  to  the  pavement  below.  There  he  waited,  expecting 
his  father  and  mother  would  also  escape  by  jumping  from  the  win- 
dows ; but  he  waited  in  vain.  In  less  time  almost  than  it  takes 
to  relate  it,  the  building  was  a crumbling  mass,  and  roof,  walls, 
partitions,  and  furniture,  all  went  blazing  together  into  the  cellars. 
He  states  that  next  morning  he  made  search,  and  found  the  bones 
of  his  father  and  mother  beneath  the  ruins. 


124 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 

A STRANGE  ERROR. 

Tlie  great  uncertainty  regarding  the  fate  of  friends,  for  several 
days  succeeding  the  fire,  and  the  absence  of  any  thoroughly  or- 
ganized effort  to  trace  those  who  were  missing,  occasioned  untold 
anxiety,  and  in  several  instances  resulted  in  the  most  terrible 
misapprehensions.  A young  gentlemen  telegraphed  to  relatives 
in  Syracuse  as  follows  : 

“ I am  safe,  but  father  cannot  be  found.  He  was  probably 
asleep,  and  burned  to  death.  “ fred.” 

In  less  than  two  hours  after  the  receipt  of  the  above,  the  par- 
ties in  Syracuse  were  astounded  by  this  dispatch  from  the  father : 
“ Everything  burned,  and  Fred  is  missing.  Havn’t  seen  him 
since  the  general  alarm,  and  fear  the  worst.  “ B.  J.  F.” 

Father  and  son  were  at  once  informed  by  return  messages,  of 
the  safety  of  each  other,  and  were  soon  reunited. 

A HAPPY  OCCASION. 

There  never  was  a happier  re-union  of  people  who  had  been 
given  up  as  lost  by  their  friends,  than  that  which  occured  at  one 
of  the  relief  “ headquarters”  on  Thursday  succeeding  the  calam- 
ity. A well  known  gentleman  was  relating  to  sympthising  friends 
that,  in  his  desire  to  save  his  cash  box,  which  contained  bonds 
and  money  for  a large  sum,  he  had  been  neglectful,  for  the  mo- 
ment, of  the  safety  of  his  wife  and  children,  that  he  lost  sight  of 
them  in  the  great  rush  of  flying,  panic-stricken  citizens,  and  that 
they  were  either  burned  or  trampled  to  death.  Pausing  a mo- 
ment in  the  narration,  he  overheard  the  sound  of  a familiar 
voice  in  an  adjoining  room,  and  springing  to  his  feet,  he  rushed 
through  the  door: 

“My  dear  wife !” 

“ O,  my  husband !” 

were  the  ejaculations  that  reached  the  ears  of  those  within  hear- 
ing. The  wife  was  there  accompanied  by  the  children,  and  was 
relating  to  some  acquaintances  the  circumstances  attending  the 
loss  of  her  husband  and  all  their  property.  She  was  about  to 
apply  for  the  relief  of  absolute  necessities  in  the  way  of  food  and 
raiment,  when  she  was  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  her  com- 
panion alive  and  well.  They  were  at  once  clasped  in  each  other’s 
arms,  and  stood  there  silent,  overcome,  in  an  eloquence  of  joy 
that  could  find  no  expression  in  words.  The  children — there 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


125 


were  three — laughed,  cried  and  shouted,  and  at  last  the  oldest,  a 
fine  boy  of  twelve,  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  in  words  that  have 
since  become  historic : “Bully  for  father  ! the  fire  could’nt  burn 
him  !”  An  expression,  at  once  so  vigorous  and  original,  broke 
the  spell,  and  everybody  returned  to  the  realities  of  the  occasion. 
The  family  were  all  there  ; they  had  saved  enough  to  insure  com- 
fort; and  the  benevolent  German  who  gave  refuge  to  the  wife 
and  children  in  his  poor  cottage  during  the  hour  of  peril,  and  di- 
vided with  them  his  frugal  loaf,  now  rejoices  in  the  addition  of  a 
$1,000  government  bond  to  his  worldly  possessions. 

A SURPRISE. 

A Chicago  matron,  on  a visit  to  some  friends  in  Massachusetts, 
addressed  several  telegraphic  messages  to  her  husband  during 
the  three  or  four  days  succeeding  the  fire,  and  received  no  reply. 
She  telegraphed  to  acquaintances  with  the  same  result.  Con- 
cluding her  family  had  met  with  disaster,  perhaps  death,  she  re- 
solved to  return  and  ascertain  the  facts.  The  husband  had  at- 
tempted to  send  a message  to  his  wife,  but  could  not  get  it 
through.  There  were  no  mails  even,  and  he  therefore  took  a 
train,  for  the  purpose  of  assuring  her  of  the  safety  of  himself 
and  family  by  his  personal  presence,  on  Wednesday  of  the  ter- 
rible week  of  darkness.  The  wife  started  a day  later.  Beach- 
ing Albany  she  was  partaking  of  a lunch  in  the  railroad  restaur- 
ant when  some  one  tapped  her  on  the  shoulder  and  inquired, 
“ What  are  you  doing  here  ?”  She  turned  and  beheld  her  hus- 
band; and  her  gloomy  forebodings  gave  place  to  rejoicing.  They 
returned  to  Chicago  with  all  speed,  to  assist,  relieve  and  encour- 
age their  less  fortunate  neighbors. 

It  was  the  afternoon  of  that  dreadful  Monday,  that  Chicago 
people  can  never  think  of  without  a shudder.  The  ladies  of  our 
block  had  sat  out  on  their  stone  steps  since  two  o’clock  of  the 
previous  morning,  with  black  faces,  uncombed  hair,  and  red, 
bleared  eyes,  gazing  with  hearts  of  lead  at  the  roaring,  rushing 
fire-fiend  that  was  devouring  the  homes  of  our  friends  on  the 
North  Side.  There  was  no  water,  the  Mayor  had  ordered  us  to 
have  no  fires.  One  energetic  Yankee  lady  proposed  sending  six 
miles  to  an  artesian  well  to  get  water  to  go  on  with  her  house 
cleaning,  for,  she  said,  “ she  would  have  to  pay  the  woman  she 
had  hired  any  way.” 


126 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


FUEL  TO  THE  FLAME. 

Thousands  of  children  were  running  in  every  direction,  scream- 
ing, crying,  and  beseeching  the  people  they  met  to  find  their 
parents  or  friends ; many  were  in  their  night  dresses,  with  bare 
feet,  scratched,  burned  and  bleeding,  heads  uncovered,  and  long 
hair  streaming  in  the  wind.  A gentleman  reports  that  he  saw 
one  little  girl  whose  great  wealth  of  loose  golden  hair  had 
caught  fire,  and  she  was  running  and  screaming  in  sore  affright. 
As  she  passed  the  place  where  he  stood,  some  thoughtless  per- 
son threw  a glass  of  whisky  upon  her,  with  the  evident  inten- 
Uon  of  quenching  the  flame.  It  of  course  had  the  contrary  ef- 
fect, and  flared  up  at  once,  covering  her  from  head  to  foot  with  a 
blue  blaze.  She  was  burned  to  death  almost  on  the  instant. 


HORRORS. 


Several  people  were  severely  injured,  and  some  killed  out- 
right, during  their  flight  through  the  streets,  by  the  bricks, 
stones,  cornices,  etc.,  from  the  falling  buildings.  One  man,  carry- 
ing a child  in  his  arms,  and  leading  another  by  the  hand,  was 
struck  on  the  head  by  a stone,  which  crushed  his  skull,  and 
scattered  his  brains  over  the  little  ones.  The  horrified  mother 
uttered  a heart-rending  shriek,  gave  one  look  of  unutterable  an- 
guish at  her  dead  companion,  then  seized  the  children  and  hur- 
ried away. 

A newspaper  reporter  writes  that  he  saw  a woman  kneeling 
in  the  street,  with  a crucifix  held  up  before  her,  and  the  skirt  of 
her  dress  burning  while  she  prayed.  She  appeared  to  be  utterly 
absorbed  in  her  devotions,  and  regardless  of  danger.  While  the 
reporter  was  looking  at  her,  a run-away  team  attached  to  a truck 
dashed  her  to  the  ground,  and  she  was  left  torn  and  mangled. 

A great  many  occupants  of  tenement-houses  were  burned  to 
death.  They  are  a class  of  people  that  are  helpless  in  a panic, 
and  proved  to  be  no  exception  on  that  terrible  Sunday  night. 
One  woman  in  a tenement-house  on  Wells  street  was  awakened 
by  the  heat  and  smoke,  and  ran  to  a window  for  air,  but  either 
fainted  or  was  smothered,  and  fell  across  the  window-sill,  where 
she  lay,  and  was  burned  with  the  building. 

On  the  battlements  of  one  of  the  high  blocks  in  Eandolph 
street  a man  was  seen  standing  and  wildly  gesticulating,  with 
the  terrible  flames  raging  and  roaring  through  all  the  apart- 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


127 


ments  beueath,  and  escape  entirely  cut  off.  All  who  saw  him 
knew  that  he  was  doomed  to  a terrible  death,  for  rescue  was  out 
of  the  question.  Still  he  gesticulated,  pointed  in  various  direc- 
tions, and  was  evidently  trying  to  make  the  people  understand 
some  plan  of  relief  that  he  thought  feasible,  but  his  voice  was 
drowned  in  the  tremendous  roar  of  wind  and  flame,  and  no  one 
moved  to  attempt  what  everybody  knew  would  prove  utterly  re- 
sultless for  good.  At  length  -the  great  walls  became  unsteady, 
swerved  for  a moment  in  mid  air,  and  then  came  down  with  a 
crash  and  weight  that  shook  the  very  ground,  and  the  life  of  him 
who  a moment  before  had  stood  there  imploring  help  was 
crushed  out  in  the  glowing  furnace  of  destruction. 

A similar  incident  is  reported  of  two  men  on  the  top  of  Ar- 
mour’s block,  who  found  themselves  completely  environed  by 
the  flames.  They  tested  the  full  strength  of  their  lungs  in  use- 
less shouts,  threw  up  their  hands,  pointed  hither  and  thither,  ran 
to  and  fro,  and  finally  seemed  intent  on  plunging  headlong  to  the 
pavement.  It  was  impossible  to  reach  them,  but  at  length  they 
stood  on  the  parapet  at  the  back  part  of  the  building,  whence 
the  roof  of  an  adjoining  structure,  some  thirty  feet  below, 
seemed  to  offer  means  of  escape.  The  flames  were  eagerly 
pressing  upon  them,  giving  but  little  time  for  consideration,  and 
so,  hand  in  hand,  they  jumped.  It  was  a fearful  leap  and  badly 
calculated.  They  came  down  with  a terrible  crash,  were  badly 
bruised,  and  lay  senseless  and  bleeding  until  rescued  by  their 
friends. 

A gentlemen,  rushing  past  a drug  store  at  the  top  of  his  speed, 
was  suddenly  overwhelmed  by  the  explosion  of  some  combustible 
stuff,  and  deluged  with  liquid  flame.  Death  was  instantaneous. 

BEKEAVEMENT  IN  HUMBLE  LIFE. 

A number  of  Irish  families  took  refuge  beneath  the  sheds  of  a 
brick-yard.  They  had  saved  nothing,  not  even  a quilt.  Not  a 
cent  of  money  to  buy  even  a roll,  even  had  there  been  a roll  to 
buy.  One  poor  woman,  who,  with  her  young  daughter,  was  sit- 
ting disconsolate,  their  backs  against  a pile  of  bricks,  alone  seemed 
disposed  to  communicate  her  bereavements.  The  girl’s  hands 
were  burnt  and  blackened,  and  the  mother  had  wrapped  them  in 
some  dirty  rags  she  picked  up  in  the  street,  and  there  the  poor 
creatures  sat  in  drear  desolation,  although  surrounded  by  fifty 


128 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


persons  similarly  situated.  The  mother’s  eyes  were  red  and 
swollen  from  heat  and  smoke,  yet,  in  the  face  of  all  their  woe, 
she  answered  cheerfully  when  addressed.  Their  great  calamity 
was  the  loss  of  the  husband  and  father.  “ Patrick  and  meself,” 
said  she ; “ beat  off  the  flames  as  long  as  we  could,  and  poor  Mary 
here,  she  worked  as  hard  as  any  of  us ; but  it  was  of  no  use.  So 
true  as  I tell  you,  the  flames  came  upon  us  quicker  than  a railroad 
train,  and  meself  and  Mary  started  out  Division  street,  and  Pat- 
rick, poor  man,  went  into  the  house  to  get  a few  dollars  he  had 
saved  from  working  on  the  docks,  and,  and — I never  saw  him  any 
more.  Oh,  dear,  oh,  oh !”  And  as  the  full  measure  of  their  griefs 
burst  with  full  force  upon  their  hearts,  they  fell  to  sobbing  and 
bemoaning  their  loss. 

A MIRACULOUS  ESCAPE. 

“ Clear  the  way  there,  below !”  shouted  a gentlemen  from  a 
fourth  story  window  of  a large  building  in  State  street.  The 
crowd  opened  right  and  left,  and  stood  with  bated  breath  await- 
ing the  catastrophe. 

“ He  dare  not  jump,”  said  one. 

“ H he  does  he’s  a dead  man,”  remarked  another. 

“I  am  coming!”  shouted  the  individual  aloft. 

And  then,  swift  as  an  arrow,  people  saw  a dark  object  shoot 
downwards  through  the  sparks  and  smoke  and  flashes  of  light, 
down  to  the  earth.  The  dull  thud  of  the  concussion  was  imme- 
diately followed  by  the  exclamation: — 

“ All  right !” 

And  it  was  discovered  that  he  had  alighted  in  a large  pile  of  bed- 
ding, escaping  without  a bruise,  and  scarcely  a momentary  incon- 
venience. 

THE  LAST  SCENE. 

The  coroner’s  office  and  morgue  were  the  saddest  and  most 
forbidding  places  in  the  city,  two  days  after  the  fire.  The  roasted 
bodies  of  men,  women,  and  children,  unrecognized  and  unknown, 
were  piled  one  upon  the  other,  awaiting  the  visits  of  those  who 
should  claim  them  and  perform  the  rites  of  Christian  sepulchre. 
There  were  many  visits  of  those  whose  relatives  were  missing, 
and  occasionally  an  expression  of  the  belief  that  one  of  the  black- 
ened bodies  might  be  that  of  a husband,  father,  wife,  brother, 
sister,  or  dear  friend,  but  the  clues  were  very  faint,  generally  im- 


S8CUE  OF  CHILDREN  BY 


TYING  THEM  IN  BEDS  AND  THROWING  THEM  FROM  THE  WINDOWS, 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


131 


probable,  and  In  nearly  every  case  abandoned  on  closer  investi- 
gation. More  than  two  hundred  of  these  bodies  were  unrecog- 
nized, and  finely  buried  by  the  city ; and  it  is  estimated  that 
bones  and  other  evidences  of  human  remains,  representing  at 
least  four  hundred  and  fifty  persons,  in  addition  to  the  two  hun- 
dred, were  found  among  the  ruins.  It  is  probably  safe  to  estimate 
that  not  less  than  twelve  hundred  people  lost  their  fives  in  the 
Chicago  calamity,  in  one  way  or  another,  and  it  is  known  that 
the  fist  of  the  missing  over-runs  this  aggregate.  Where,  in  the 
whole  history  of  human  disaster,  can  we  find  a more  agonizing 
record  ? 

THE  MORGUE. 

At  the  far  end  of  the  room  was  a partitioned  space  lighted  by 
dirty  cobwebbed  windows,  and  on  the  floor,  arranged  in  rows, 
first  all  around  three  sides  and  then  down  the  middle,  were  the 
charred  remains  of  seventy  human  beings. 

The  first  noticeable  object  in  this  dreadful  company  was  the 
form  of  a Sister  of  some  Roman  Catholic  Order,  completely 
shrouded  in  her  brown  habit  with  the  cross  and  I.  H.  S.  in  white 
letters  stitched  on  the  bosom.  The  face  was  thickly  veiled  and 
even  the  feet  carefully  covered  up.  “ She  was  smothered,  but 
not  burned,”  observed  the  grim  master  of  ceremonies. 

The  next  was  the  body  of  a young  man  partially  clad  in  com- 
mon workingmen’s  attire.  The  hair  was  completely  burned 
off  his  head  and  body ; the  features  were  blackened  and  dis- 
torted with  pain ; the  swollen  lips  were  wide  apart,  disclosing 
the  glistening  teeth,  and  imparting  a horrid  grin,  such  only  as 
agonizing  death  can  stamp  upon  the  face.  The  flesh  was  bloated 
to  an  astonishing  size.  The  poor  wretch  was  roasted  alive.  What 
is  the  use  now  of  giving  utterance  to  the  passing  thought  as  these 
two  corpses — the  only  two  whose  faces  could  be  recognized — met 
the  gaze  ? Let  it  pass. 

There  was  one  charred  form  in  the  attitude  of  prayer — the 
form  of  a woman,  but  every  feature  of  the  face,  every  graceful 
fine  of  the  body  was  gone.  The  head  was  nothing  but  a black 
lump ; the  body  a blackened,  hideous  shape. 

Some  bodies  of  men  could  be  distinguished  by  the  remnants  of 
clothing  and  boots,  but  nearly  all  traces  of  humanity  were  gone. 
Then  there  were  remains  of  children  and  young  people ; but  they, 


132 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


witli  the  majority,  were  nothing  more  than  mere  blackened,  char- 
red torsos.  Those  whose  limbs  or  arms  remained,  exhibited  a 
supplicatory  attitude,  as  if  begging  mercy  of  the  destroyer. 

To  this  ghastly,  hideous,  and  melancholy  spectacle,  were  admited 
in  little  parties  of  four  or  five  at  a time,  those  who  had  friends  or 
relatives  missing,  but  no  language  can  describe  the  scenes  of 
heart-rendering  agony  which  these  grim  visits  elicited. 

A family  of  little  children,  led  by  an  elder  sister,  comes,  and 
after  the  first  sickening  shock  tries  to  distinguish  her  mother. 
A frantic  wife,  attended  by  a friend,  comes  in  search  of  her  unre- 
turning husband.  Brothers  seek  sisters  lost,  and  sisters  their 
brothers  gone ; but  who  can  tell  in  that  undistinguishable  char- 
nel, what  home  the  living  being  made  happy.  All  personal  iden- 
tification was  gone  with  the  obliterating  fire,  and  nothing  was  left 
but  ashes.  But  perhaps  the  bitter  disappointment  at  not  finding, 
or  rather  recognizing  the  lost  one  was  worse  than  if  there  and  then 
had  ended  the  fearful  search.  Heart-bursting  sobs,  hysterical 
exclamations,  and  unutterable  wailings,  rent  the  air  as  the  disap- 
pointed sad  ones  turned  away  from  the  sickening  scene. 

But  besides  the  bodies  burned  to  a crisp,  the  impoverished  mor- 
gue had  other  horrors  to  reveal.  On  the  near  side  of  the  par- 
titioned space  lay  half  a dozen  tenanted  coffins — pauper’s  cof- 
fins— of  unpainted  pine,  with  the  bodies  laid  in  without  any 
preparatory  equipment  for  the  grave,  not  even  the  common  com- 
posure of  the  arms  and  limbs,  the  closing  of  the  eyes,  and  the 
washing  of  the  features.  In  one  the  visitor  was  shown  the 
corpse  of  the  man  shot  through  the  head  and  hung  to  the  lamp 
post — a dreadful  warning  to  incendiaries.  In  another  lay  the 
body  of  a man  with  a bayonet  stab  through  the  body — by  whom 
stabbed  no  one  knew.  In  another  was  squeezed  the  body  of  a 
German  tailor,  well  known  in  the  neighborhood,  who  had  lost  his 
all  by  the  fire,  and  acting  upon  the  cowardly  principle  senti- 
mentally inculcated  by  Goethe  in  “ The  Sorrows  of  Werther,” 
committed  suicide  rather  than  bravely  live  out  his  allotted  time. 
He  had  first  opened  a vein  in  his  arm  and  then  cut  his  throat 
from  ear  to  ear  with  a razor.  His  hands,  face  and  clothes  were 
smeared  with  gore,  and  a more  ghastly  and  sickening  spectacle 
than  that  coffin  presented  could  hardly  be  found.  There,  shut 
it  up  forever  and  shut  out  the  sight  from  our  eyes — if  we  can, 
and  leave  the  horrid  place,  never,  never,  to  return. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


133 


A RETROSPECT. 

Murat  Halstead,  Esq.,  the  well-known  and  accomplished 
editor  of  the  Cincinnati  Commercial , visited  onr  city  in  the  last 
days  of  October,  and  wrote  his  impressions  of  “ Chicago  three 
weeks  after  the  fire.”  As  the  testimony  of  a close  observer  of 
men,  things  and  ruins,  and  of  one  who  is  wholly  disinterested, 
his  letter  is  of  more  than  ordinary  value,  and  is  inserted  here 
that  we  may  avail  ourselves  of  the  most  convenient  opportunity 
of  being  seen  as  others  see  us : 

All  speak  of  the  appalling  roar  of  the  conflagration,  fanned 
by  a hurricane,  and  the  tremendous  power  of  the  mass  of  flame 
before  which  the  tall  business  houses  withered  and  collapsed. 
The  heat  was  so  dreadful,  and  the  force  of  the  wind  so  great,  that 
the  serpents  of  fire  pierced  walls  like  lightning.  The  sky  was 
lurid.  The  heavens  seemed  to  be  filled  with  fiery  billows,  and 
an  awful  volume  of  densely  black  smoke  rolled  away  with  fright- 
ful rapidity  and  the  majesty  of  a gigantic  thunder  cloud.  “ You 
have  seen  a violent  hail  storm,”  said  one,  “ imagine  the  hail  to 
be  all  fire  and  you  have  the  shower  of  sparks.”  The  tempest 
beat  upon  the  roofs  far  in  advance  of  the  torrent  of  flame.  The 
air  was  filled  with  blazing  shingles,  and  boards  several  feet  in 
length  were  whirled  aloft  and  flung  in  advance,  while  fragments 
of  composition  roofs  made  infernal  fire  brands,  and  hissed  with 
fierce  combustion  as  they  flew.  Before  such  a storm  as  this  any 
city  in  the  world  would  have  perished,  and  if  Chicago  had  exten- 
ded forty  miles  in  the  direction  of  the  wind  it  would  have  been 
swept  throughout. 

Every  one  has  some  strange  experience  to  relate.  The  wife 
of  one  of  the  first  citizens  of  Chicago — a man  of  great  wealth, 
and  whose  home  was  famed  for  a genial  hospitality — was  sepa- 
rated from  her  husband,  and,  with  two  small  children,  driven  into 
the  edge  of  the  lake,  and  crouched  shivering  in  the  shallow 
water  for  hours,  when  she  ventured  upon  the  land  again,  and 
walked  six  miles  to  the  house  of  a friend.  The  daughter  and 
only  child  of  a prominent  gentleman,  who  had  one  of  the  hand- 
somest residences  in  Chicago,  and  was  well  able  to  enjoy  it,  was 
obliged  to  take  her  place,  with  a basket  on  her  arm,  in  a line  of 
sufferers  seeking  food,  and  there  was  recognized  by  a ruffian  and 
thrust  out  of  the  line  with  an  oath  and  exclamation  of  joy  that 
she  was  “ on  the  same  level  with  the  rest  of  us  now.”  A resolute 
business  man,  believing,  for  an  hour  or  two  before  his  store  was 
swept  away,  that  the  fire  was  uncontrollable,  succeeded  in  remov- 
ing a quantity  of  valuable  goods  to  the  lake  shore.  When  the 
fiery  hail  descended  there,  he  found  a tub,  which  he  placed  on 
his  head,  and  remained  brushing  the  embers  from  a lot  of  goods, 


134 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


and  wetting  them  ; and,  when  the  danger  was  over,  he  had  the 
satisfaction  of  ascertaining  that  he  had  protected,  with  despe- 
rate energy,  and  at  the  risk  of  his  life,  the  property  of  another. 
His  pile  unguarded  was  consumed.  While  the  black  smoke  was 
still  ascending,  and  the  streets  were  yet  hot,  and  the  wind  swept  , 
through  the  ruins,  with  the  breath  and  dust  of  a Sahara  sirocco, 
a business  man  made  his  way  to  the  ruins  of  the  Court-house, 
and  there  he  declared  he  saw  flying  across  the  square  a white 
owl.  He  is  not  an  imaginative  or  superstitious  person,  but  most 
literal  and  exact  in  his  statements,  but  he  confesses  to  have  been 
slightly  disturbed  to  see  an  owl  just  then.  It  had  an  uncanny 
look,  even  to  a prosaic  person.  The  great  bell  of  the  city  was 
in  the  Court-house,  and  the  noise  that  it  made  in  falling  was 
heard  through  all  the  uproar  by  almost  everybody.  As  the  fire 
became  irresistible  the  great  bell  was  sounded  incessantly  to 
warn  all  hearers  of  the  peril  that  beset  them.  The  clamor 
ceased  as  the  fire  took  possession  of  the  Court-house,  and  then 
the  long  reverberation  of  the  bell  as  it  tumbled  crashing  down 
the  tower,  and  the  great,  dull,  far  resounding  throb  that  it  gave 
when  it  struck  the  earth,  seemed  to  the  maddened  fugitives, 
driven  before  the  flames,  something  superhuman — a voice  calling 
that  all  was  lost. 

There  is  an  exaggerated  impression  abroad  about  the  annihi- 
lation of  the  buildings  in  the  burnt  district.  It  is  not  true,  as 
some  graphic  writers  have  related,  that  the  bricks  were  burnt  to 
ashes  and  blown  into  the  lake.  There  are  millions  upon  millions 
of  brick  that  will  do  very  well  to  go  into  the  walls  again.  It  is 
stated  that  where  they  were  exposed  to  the  greatest  heat  they 
shrank  and  lost  weight,  and  that  sometimes  the  comers  crumble 
from  them  easily.  I do  not  know  how  that  is,  as  I did  not  see 
any  of  them  weighed  or  crumble.  Then  there  are  ruins  that  are 
inexpressibly  picturesque.  Some  of  the  stone-fronts  standing 
blasted  and  scathed  by  the  flames,  have  the  appearance  of  ex- 
treme antiquity.  Bayard  Taylor  said  of  one  of  these  scarred 
fronts,  “ It  looks  like  the  marble  of  Grecian  temples  two  thou- 
sand years  old.”  The  stone  roasted  to  lime,  and  beaten  by  the 
rain,  had  in  three  weeks  acquired  an  imposing  venerableness, 
and  in  this,  the  newest  of  the  great  cities,  there  seemed  to  appear 
the  august  imprint  of  the  ages.  The  churches,  which,  with  the 
breweries,  are  conspicuous  by  the  towering  fragments  that  attest 
their  former  safety  proportions,  present  the  most  startling  ef- 
fects. Many  of  the  Chicago  churches  were  very  beautiful,  and 
in  ruins  several  of  them  are  so  remarkable  that  it  is  a pity  not  to 
preserve  them,  as  they  are  the  most  impressive  memorials  of  a 
memorable  event.  The  roofs  are  utterly  gone,  the  walls  broken, 
the  steeples  shattered,  upholding  tottering  pinacles ; the  great 
arches  through  which  the  congregations  walked,  shivered  in  part 
and  fallen  m.  massive  fragments  upon  the  stately  steps,  yet  span- 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


135 


ning  grandly  the  space  between  double  towers.  There  is  one 
that  is  a striking  suggestion  of  Melrose  Abbey — seen  through 
the  dust,  or  the  mist,  or  in  the  moonlight — it  has  a weird  look, 
and  it  seems  that  only  the  associations  of  centuries  would  be 
appropriate.  One  misses  though,  the  clinging  ivy  and  the  groups 
of  tombs  of  the  Knights  and  Kings  of  the  chivalric  ages.  Some 
tall  arches  cling  together,  strangely  upheld  to  a great  height  in 
the  center  of  the  business  quarter,  and  suggest  a section  of  the 
Colosseum.  The  completest  destruction  is  where  there  was  the 
most  use  made  of  iron  in  building.  Field  & Leiter’s  immense 
dry  goods  house,  supported  all  around  on  iron  columns,  is  ut- 
terly gone  into  the  cellar,  where  there  is  a large  display  of  the 
massive  iron-work,  in  which  there  was  so  much  confidence  be- 
fore the  hour  of  trial  proved  its  frailty. 

The  business  men  burned  out  have  signs  on  the  sights  of  their 
old  establishments,  telling  where  they  are  to  be  seen.  There 
are  thousands  of  these,  and  they  would  be  more  useful  if  it  were 
not  almost  impossible  for  persons  not  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  city  as  it  was,  to  find  the  old  plaoes.  There  is  an  astound- 
ing bewilderment.  A friend  told  me  he  had  more  than  once 
passed  the  ruins  of  his  own  residence  without  knowing  it.  On 
the  "West  Side,  and  the  South,  private  residences  are  appropri- 
ated for  business  purposes,  and  it  is  a reminder  of  peculiar  times 
to  see  bank  and  real  estate  and  insurance  office  signs,  painted  in 
black  on  a rough  board,  and  nailed  at  a parlor  window.  I 
noticed  the  name  of  C.  H.  McCormick,  the  millionaire  manufac- 
turer of  reapers,  on  a board,  sticking  from  the  second  story  win- 
dow of  a modest  house  ; and  a stake,  driven  into  a pile  of  bricks 
near  the  court-house,  supports  a sign  that  tells  where  he  can  be 
found.  On  Lake  Park  there  are  some  hundreds  of  frames  already 
up,  and  carpenters  are  within  hammering  away  at  rough  coun- 
ters and  shelving,  and  the  merchant  princes  of  other  days  have 
their  firm  names^  already  well  displayed,  by  the  aid  of  marking 
brushes,  over  their  doors.  It  would  look  curious  to  see  the 
names  of  our  most  flourishing  Fourth  and  Pearl  street  merchants, 
on  shanties  of  fresh  boards  on  the  landing,  and  in  Washington 
and  Lincoln  Parks,  but  such  instances  of  observation  are  com- 
mon-place in  Chicago. 

The  Chicago  men  of  affairs  are  full  of  courage.  They  meet 
each  other  with  uplifted  faces  and  talk  resolutely  of  “ beginning 
again  ;**  of  their  ability  to  “ do  it  over  again  and  more  too of 
their  determination  to  have  “ fire-proof  houses  next  time  ” beyond 
doubt.  They  are  against  stone  veneering  and  iron  pillars  and 
braces,  and  have  confidence  in  honest  brick  work.  They  will 
not  build  so  loftily,  and  vdll  make  room  for  heavy  walls.  The 
Chicago  of  the  future  wdll  be  a city  of  bricks,  and  more  sober  in 
character,  as  well  as  substantial  in  construction,  than  the  city  of 
the  past. 


136 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


The  faces  among  Chicago  men  that  were  known  to  me  were 
strongly  marked  with  the  excitements  and  fatigues  through  which 
they  have  passed.  Amid  the  ruins,  looking  at  the  laborers  re- 
moving the  debris,  were  sad  faces,  and  some  of  those  who  wear 
brave  countenances  before  the  public,  and  even  jest  at  their  own 
misfortunes,  are  badly  hurt  indeed ; and  resolute  as  they  may  be, 
will  never  “ do  it  again,”  though  they  take  up  the  hard,  long  task, 
ever  so  hopefully.  The  catastrophe  represented  in  the  vast 
sweep  of  ruins  grows  as  it  is  understood,  and  many  a brave  life 
will  go  out  in  the  work  of  restoration. 

While  three-fourths  of  the  business  houses  of  the  city  were 
destroyed,  but  one-fourth  of  the  city,  estimated  by  the  number 
of  inhabitants  on  the  ground,  was  burned.  In  the  streets  of  the 
West  Side,  especially,  there  is  a concentration  of  business  that 
makes  an  immense  stir.  Throngs  of  hurried,  anxious  men  are 
on  the  sidewalks,  and  omnibuses,  drays  and  wagons  crowd  the 
streets.  The  bridges  are  inadequate.  Whenever  one  of  them  is 
swung  aside  to  admit  the  passage  of  a vessel,  there  is  a proces- 
sion formed  on  each  side,  of  those  in  hot  haste,  and  the  confu- 
sion is  dire.  The  tunnels  ring  with  rapid  hoofs  incessantly. 
The  manifestations  of  the  excellent  and  unbroken  vitality  of  the 
city,  and  of  the  unquenchable  faith  of  her  people  in  a future 
that  shall  be  filled  with  a splendor  surpassing  the  past,  are  plain 
on  all  sides. 

TAKEN  BY  SURPRISE. 

A boarder  at  the  Mallory  House,  on  the  west  side,  who  had 
watched  through  the  night  of  Saturday  with  a sick  friend,  and 
therefore  slept  soundly,  was  rudely  awakened  at  about  4 o’clock 
Monday  morning  by  a heavy  rumbling  sound,  and  shaking  of 
the  house,  that  induced  apprehensions  in  his  mind  of  an  earth- 
quake. Opening  his  eyes,  he  found  his  room  .alight  with  a red 
glare  that  startled  him  from  the  bed,  and  he  rushed  to  a window. 
He  was  spell-bound  by  the  hideous  night-mare  of  destruction, 
and  gazed  upon  it  as  upon  the  head  of  Medusa.  Another  crash- 
ing detonation  recalled  him  to  the  realities  of  the  occasion,  and, 
hastily  dressing,  he  descended  to  the  office,  then  filled  with  anx- 
ious, unhoused  citizens,  made  his  way  to  the  desk  and  interroga- 
ted the  clerk.  The  reply  that  Chicago  was  “ two-thirds  burnt 
and  no  hope  for  the  balance,”  smote  him  like  a blow  from  a ra- 
pier, for  theout  look  at  that  moment  appeared  to  confirm  the 
report,  and  to  reproach  him  with  the  gross  lapse  of  duty  of  hav- 
ing slept  through  all  those  long,  terrible  hours,  that  threathened 
the  existence  of  the  great  city.  But  now — the  resolve  was  strong 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  137 

and  instantaneous — lie  would  do  everything  in  his  power  to  atone 
for  the  dereliction. 

He  describes  his  feelings  at  the  momont  as  “ reckless,”  involv- 
ing a total  disregard  of  personal  safety,  and  a full  determination 
to  assist  in  saving  life  and  property,  wherever  opportunity  might 
present,  without  regard  to  consequences  to  himself.  He  made 
his  way  across  Randolph  street  bridge,  to  the  South  Side,  just 
as  the  flames  had  reached  their  sublimest  altitude  in  Wabash 
and  Michigan  Avenues,  and  supposing  his  services  might  be 
made  available  in  that  locality,  he  was  soon  on  the  ground.  The 
scene  was  of  the  wildest  confusion.  From  stately  mansions  peo- 
ple were  flying  with  the  extremest  alarm — from  some,  goods  and 
furniture  were  issuing  in  great  parcels,  as  they  were  thrown  from 
doors  and  windows,  pell-mell  into  the  streets,  where  many  caught 
fire  almost  as  soon  as  landed,  and  were  consumed, — from  some, 
the  valuables  were  loaded  into  vehicles  and  driven  rapidly  away. 
Our  friend  ran  into  a house,  apparently  deserted  and  already 
blazing  on  one  side,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  still  save  a por- 
tion of  its  contents.  The  smoke  within  was  thick  and  strangling, 
but  he  pushed  forward.  Entering  a sitting  room,  he  was  greeted 
with  the  sullen  growl  of  a dog,  and  was  about  to  retreat,  when 
he  descried  a woman  sitting  near  the  grate,  from  which  a slight 
blaze  flickered,  fast  asleep  in  her  chair.  He  shouted  at  the  top 
of  his  voice, 

“Wake  up!  wake  up!  Your  house  is  burning,  and  you  must 
get  out  quick  to  save  your  life.” 

“ Has  the  fire  really  turned  this  way  ? Where  is  my  husband? 
Where  are  the  servants  ?” 

“ Is  your  husband  in  the  house  ?” 

“ He  went  to  the  fire  about  midnight” — 

“ And  hasn’t  returned,  of  course.  I will  assist  you  and  then 
look  for  the  servants ; but  there  is  not  a moment  to  spare.” 

To  his  great  surprise  she  took  a young  baby  from  a cradle 
standing  near,  and  began  leisurely  to  dress  it. 

“ This  won’t  do  at  all,”  said  he.  “ Take  the  child’s  clothing 
on  your  arm,  and  dress  it  when  you  reach  a place  of  safety.  You 
must  go  now.” 

The  falling  timbers  and  a great  puff  of  black  smoke  through 
the  carpet  beneath  their  feet,  gave  emphasis  to  his  words,  and 
the  woman  seized  the  child  and  some  articles  of  apparel  and 
hastened  to  the  street. 


138 


THROUGH  THB  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


He  then,  accompanied  by  the  dog,  who  appeared  to  compre- 
hend the  exigencies  of  the  occasion,  ran  to  the  upper  stories  of 
the  house  and  examined  all  the  rooms,  but  found  no  one.  See- 
ing several  articles  of  value,  he  concluded  to  save  those  which 
he  thought  the  family  would  prize  most,  and  gathering  as  many 
as  he  could  carry,  descended  the  stairs  with  the  flames  playing 
around  him  from  the  burning  hall. 

J ust  as  he  reached  the  pavement  once  more,  a well-dressed 
gentleman  (?)  ran  up  and  accosted  him : 

“ What  are  you  doing,  sir  ?” 

“ Trying  to  save  something  from  this  burning  house.” 

“ Trying  to  steal  something,  would  be  nearer  the  truth.  That 
is  my  house,  sir.  Hand  me  the  articles.” 

“ Come  with  me  to  your  wife,  and  she  will  acquit  me  of  any 
unworthy  design.  Had  I not  entered  your  house,  the  chances 
are  that  she  would  not  be  alive  at  this  moment.” 

“ Hum ! Well,  let  me  place  these  things  where  they  will  be 
safe,  and  then  we’ll  see  what  madam  has  to  say.” 

He  took  them  and  disappeared  around  a corner.  Our  friend 
waited,  ten,  fifteen,  twenty  minutes,  and  then  went  to  seek  the 
lady.  He  walked  nearly  three  squares,  and  found  her  seated 
upon  a trunk  in  the  street,  with  a gentleman  attending  her. 

“ Your  servants  had  all  left  the  house.  I examined  every 
room,  and  did  not  find  a living  soul ; but  there  were  some  arti- 
cles of  value  which  I brought  away,  and,  meeting  your  husband 
at  the  door,  delivered  them  into  his  hands.” 

“My  husband?  Why,  this  is  my  husband!  He  has  just 
found  me.” 

And  the  other  was  a confidence  man,  plying  his  wonderful  vo- 
cation. The  trick  was  evident  enough,  but  the  real  husband  was 
too  thankful  for  the  safety  of  wife  and  child  to  regret  the  loss  of 
anything  else,  and  he  expressed  gratitude  in  no  measured  terms. 

There  was  no  time  for  ceremony,  certainly,  with  those  who 
wished  to  save  life  or  substance,  and  our  friend  was  encouraged 
by  the  success  of  the  first  exploit  to  continue  his  exertions.  It 
was  quite  daylight,  but  the  heavy  smoke  hanging  over  city  and 
lake  filled  all  the  atmosphere  with  a gloomy  haze  that  proved  ex- 
tremely dispiriting,  especially  in  combination  with  the  desola- 
tion everywhere  apparent ; but  he  aroused  his  energies  and  re- 
turned to  the  burning  houses.  A building  from  which  the  fire 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


139 


issued  in  great  wreaths  was  attracting  the  attention  of  quite  a 
crowd  of  men,  who  were  gazing  upon  it  as  if  in  momentary  ex- 
pectation of  something  to  which  they  attached  unusual  interest. 
He  made  inquiries,  and  learned  that  a man  was  seen  rushing  in 
at  the  door  but  a few  moments  previous,  and  they  were  looking 
for  his  return. 

“ Perhaps  he  has  smothered.” 

“ He’s  a dead  man  if  he  stays  two  minutes  longer.” 

“ Probably  dead  already.” 

“ Who’ll  go  with  me  and  find  him  ?”  asked  our  hero. 

“ I will,”  replied  a little  fellow,  a mere  boy,  and,  as  subsequently 
ascertained,  a boot-black. 

“ Well,  take  one  of  these,”  (suiting  the  action  to  the  word  by 
seizing  two  heavy  blankets  from  a pile  of  “ plunder”  near  by,  in 
one  of  which  he  enveloped  himself,  and  told  the  little  fellow  to 
do  the  same),  “ and  now  come  on.” 

The  crowd  expostulated,  but  they  did  not  wait  for  words.  In- 
side the  building  they  found  it  much  worse  than  anticipated, 
the  first  floor  burned  through  in  several  places,  and  the  smoke 
thick  and  blinding,  rendering  their  progress  extremely  danger- 
ous. 

“We  must  move  qnickly  if  we  would  do  any  good  and  escape 
with  life.  Follow  me  and  jump  ;”  and  our  hero,  exerting  all  his 
strength,  made  a tremendous  leap  through  the  fire,  but  the  dis- 
tance was  miscalculated,  for  he  alighted  upon  a section  of  the 
charred  floor,  which  gave  way  like  so  much  paper,  and  he  was 
precipitated  to  the  cellar  beneath,  and  into  a large  cistern  filled 
with  water.  Disengaging  himself  from  the  blanket,  he  managed 
to  get  out  and  drag  it  after  him,  but  only  to  find  that  he  was  en- 
vironed by  fire  on  every  side,  as  well  as  overhead ! Fire  every- 
where ! His  companion  either  did  not  follow  or  had  met  with 
better  luck  in  going  “through  the  flames  and  beyond,”  for  he  was 
alone,  and  oppressed  by  the  most  terrible  loneliness  he  ever  ex- 
perienced. The  roar  of  the  flames  was  terrific,  and  soon  the 
walls  of  the  building  must  fall  and  bury  him  in  the  great  tomb 
of  the  conflagration.  He  could  see  no  help  for  it. 

He  was  kept  busy  in  efforts  to  avoid  the  falling  embers,  and 
retreated  before  the  advancing  flames  to  another  cellar,  and  still 
to  another,  when  he  came  to  a door  that  was  securely  barred  on 
the  opposite  side.  It  resisted  all  his  efforts  to  open  it,  and  he 


140 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


found  himself  completely  hemmed  in  by  the  fire  behind,  which 
was  following  him  certainly  to  his  death.  There  is  a great  rum- 
bling, a crash,  and  the  ground  shakes  with  the  concussion  of  the 
falling  walls.  Within  ten  feet  of  where  he  stands,  there  is  a fear- 
ful pile  of  smoking  brick,  from  which  the  heat  is  so  intense  as  to 
scorch  his  damp  clothing,  and  the  atmosphere  is  impregnated 
with  a gas  that  chokes  his  lungs  and  checks  respiration.  An- 
other rumbling  and  a terrific  crash  right  over  his  head.  He  looks 
up  for  his  doom,  and  finds  a strongly  vaulted  arch  overhead, 
which  resists  the  concussion — but  to  what  purpose  for  him?  Bet- 
ter be  crushed  at  once  than  suffer  the  lingering  death  of  slow 
combustion.  The  third  crash,  and  the  most  fearful,  follows 
quickly — the  barred  door  flies  from  its  hinges — and  beyond  he 
sees  a basement  kitchen  almost  untouched  by  the  flames,  and 
quite  open  to  his  egress,  for  the  rear  wall  has  fallen  outward. 
The  flames  are  playing  wildly  through  the  back  yard,  consum- 
ing fences  and  outbuildings,  and  the  prospect  is  still  poor  for  his 
escape.  He  espies  two  coal  scuttles  in  the  room,  one  nearly 
filled  with  ashes.  Scarcely  knowing  what  he  did,  he  emptied  a 
portion  of  the  ashes  into  the  other  scuttle,  and  placing  an  arm 
through  the  handles,  made  his  way  to  the  yard.  Here  the 
ground  was  thickly  strewn  with  the  glowing  bricks  and  flaming 
embers,  over  which  he  must  pass,  or  perish.  Wrapping  the  still 
wet  blanket  closely  about  him,  he  placed  a foot  in  each  of  the 
scuttles  among  the  ashes,  seizing  the  handles,  and  thus  uniquely 
shod,  commenced  his  tiresome  journey  through  the  ruins. 

This  journey,  as  related  to  us,  involves  a longer  story,  in  all 
its  details,  than  we  can  find  space  for,  although  of  absorbing  in- 
terest. He  did  not  readily  find  his  way  out  of  the  place  of  dan- 
ger, for  obstacles  intervened  on  every  side  in  the  shape  of  burn- 
ing debris.  Where  he  found  openings  that  seemed  to  promise 
relief  they  led  to  greater  dangers  beyond,  and  finally  the  awk- 
ward mode  of  locomotion,  the.  stooping  and  constrained  posi- 
tion, the  terrible  heat  and  previous  fatigue  and  excitement,  over- 
came him  so  much  that  he  gave  up  in  despair,  and  determined  to 
await  the  issue  without  further  effort  to  save  himself.  Bringing 
the  scuttles  close  together  in  an  open  space,  he  managed  to  re- 
cline upon  them  in  a half  sitting  posture,  and  was  obtaining  a 
little  rest  in  this  way  when  by  some  means  the  blanket  around 
him  caught  fire,  and  was  so  for  under  way  when  discovered  that  he 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IT. 


141 


was  obliged  to  cast  it  from  him.  Then  the  heat  affected  him  ter- 
ribly, and  he  made  another  effort  for  release.  Walls  were  fall- 
ing in  every  direction,  and  now,  scarcely  a hundred  feet  from  his 
position,  he  saw  one  coming  to  the  ground  about  which  there 
was  little  indication  of  heat.  Thither  he  made  his  way,  and, 
after  reconnoitering  the  situation,  concluded  to  risk  a run  to  the 
street  without  the  aid  of  the  scuttles.  But  he  repented  it  bitterly 
before  the  street  was  gained.  The  bricks  were  still  very  hot,  and 
not  only  burnt  his  boots  to  a crisp,  but  burnt  his  stockings  com- 
pletely off,  and  then  took  the  skin  as  clean  from  the  flesh  as  it 
could  be  done  by  the  most  scientific  flaying  ! As  he  reached  the 
street  he  fell  fainting  upon  the  pavement,  but  was  promptly  re- 
moved to  a hospital,  where  for  several  weeks  he  was  tenderly 
nursed  by  kind  friends,  with  the  plucky  little  boot-black  as  a con- 
stant attendant.  As  we  conclude  the  notes  of  this  incident,  he 
stands  at  our  side,  leaning  upon  his  crutches,  a cripple  for  life. 


ADVENTURE  OF  A YOUNG  ENGLISHMAN  AND  HIS  ROOM-MATE — A 

TIMELY  RESCUE. 

[We  have  made  some  slight  verbal  changes  in  the  following 
narrative,  but  none  to  affect  the  facts  therein  detailed]. 

I went  to  my  room  early  on  Sunday  evening,  for  I was  very 
tired  and  sleepy,  having  helped  the  firemen  on  Saturday  night. 
John  Wilson,  a Scotchman,  had  also  been  at  the  scene  of  the 
previous  night’s  conflagration,  and,  being  room-mates,  we  retired 
about  the  same  time  to  our  room  on  North-Wells  street. 

About  nine  o’clock  I was  aroused  by  the  fire-bells.  John 
leaped  out  of  bed  to  look  at  his  card,  and  said  that  the  alarm 
was  from  DeKoven  and  Clinton  streets.  We  both  agreed  it  was 
too  far  to  go,  particularly  as  we  were  quite  “ played  out  ” with 
fatigue,  and  we  droped  asleep  very  soon ; John,  indeed,  was 
snoring  five  minutes  later,  and  there  was  this  peculiarity  about 
John,  that  when  he  was  once  sound  asleep,  you  might  fire  off  a 
cannon  close  to  his  ear  without  awaking  him. 

Sometimes  when  we  sleep  external  sounds  affect  us  but  little 
if  we  are  very  tired,  and  seem  to  melt  into  and  become  a part  of 
our  dreams,  so  that  we  cannot  tell  whether  noises  within  or 
without  the  bed-chamber  are  real,  or  whether  they  are  only  dream 
sounds.  I had  not  been  asleep  very  long  when  I began  to  dream 


142 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


about  tlie  last  night’s  fire,  and  I can  remember  every  particular 
of  my  dream  as  distinctly  as  the  terrible  reality  that  followed 
it.  It  seemed  to  me  that  the  fire-bells  kept  ringing,  ringing,  un- 
ceasingly ; but  although  I fancied  the  fire  was  in  the  same  place, 
the  bells  did  not  strike  248,  which  was  the  box  from  which  the 
alarm  was  sounded  on  Saturday  night.  Then  I began  to  reason 
in  a strange  drowsy  way,  as  to  what  the  cause  might  be,  and 
soon  “ a change  came  over  the  spirit  of  my  dream,”  and  I began 
to  think  about  the  old  country,  and  old  times,  and  the  vision  of 
fire  melted  into  one  of  green  fields  and  sunny  villages  in  far  off 
England. 

But  the  bells  in  my  dream  were  no  fancy.  The  second  alarm 
had  rung,  and  it  was  not  from  box  248,  yet  the  fire  had  swept  at 
least  a fifth  part  of  the  city  before  I woke  to  hear  a tremendous 
clamor  and  rush  as  of  a great  mob  in  the  streets,  and  to  see 
the  flames  leaping  and  roaring  a full  hundred  feet  over  the  fine 
buildings  across  the  street. 

I called  John,  but  he  did  not  stir.  I had  to  dash  water  in  his 
face  before  I could  arouse  him.  When  he  did  awake  he  rushed 
to  the  window,  looked  out  upon  the  awful  fire  before  him,  and 
pulled  his  clothes  on  with  such  haste  that  he  was  ready  for  flight 
and  had  thrown  our  most  valuable  clothes  into  a valise,  before 
I was  half  dressed. 

We  were  in  much  greater  danger  than  either  of  us  had  imag- 
ined. The  instant  we  opened  the  door,  the  room  was  filled  with 
a thick  choking  smoke  and  we  knew  that  the  back  part  of  the 
house  was  on  fire.  There  was  but  little  escape  in  that  direction, 
at  least  without  being  seriously  burned,  and  John  shut  the  door 
again,  remarking  that  as  we  were  only  two  stories  from  the 
ground  we  could  more  easily  escape  by  the  window. 

We  seized  the  bed-clothes,  and  tore  them  up  into  strips,  but 
while  we  were  so  occupied  the  heat  became  suffocating;  the 
plaster  cracked  and  dropped  from  the  ceiling,  and  we  kneAv  that 
in  five  minutes  everything  in  the  room  would  be  reduced  to 
ashes — so  you  may  be  sure  we  worked  pretty  desperately.  Just 
as  John  had  dragged  the  heavy  bed  to  the  window  and  fastened 
the  end  of  our  blanket  rope  to  it,  I heard  a crash  of  broken 
glass,  and  looking  out  perceived  that  the  window  immediately 
beneath  us  had  yielded  to  the  heat  and  a thick  smoke  with  clouds 
of  sparks  was  pouring  through  the  broken  panes.  “ You  get 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


143 


down  first,  Jack,”  said  my  friend,  throwing  the  rope  out,  " I can 
jump  better  than  you  if  the  rope  takes  fire.”  I slid  down  pretty 
quick,  and  landed  safe  upon  the  flags  below,  although  the  rope 
was  at  least  eight  feet  too  short.  John  threw  out  the  valise  and 
was  beginning  to  let  himself  down,  when  the  flames  leabed 
through  the  window  below  and  the  rope  was  in  flames.  I was 
never  so  frightened,  perhaps,  as  at  that  minute,  but  John  saw 
what  had  happened,  and  let  go  the  burning  blanket  strips  at  once. 
He  had  to  drop  more  than  twenty  feet,  but  he  fell  upon  his  feet 
on  the  pavement  without  other  injury  than  a few  bruises.  But 
the  shock  made  him  stagger  and  fall  over  the  edge  of  the 
curbing. 

This  was  all  the  work  of  about  seven  or  eight  minutes,  but  in 
that  short  space,  the  fire  had  made  terrible  progress.  There 
were  great  arches  of  fire  stretching  across  the  street  beyond 
Michigan  street,  only  a square  and  a half  from  us,  and  near 
Water  street.  At  that  distance,  however,  one  could  only  catch  a 
glimpse  of  a building  at  intervals,  so  wholly  enveloped  were  they 
in  sheets  of  fire.  It  was  nevertheless  a spectacles  so  grandly, 
awfully  beautiful,  that  could  one  but  look  upon  it  in  safety,  he  could 
gaze  for  weeks  at  the  sight.  The  whole  street  where  we  stood  was 
lighted  up  with  a bright  glow,  which  faded  into  a deep  red,  almost 
blood-red,  towards  Chestnut  street,  where  the  flying  crowds  stood 
look  back  upon  the  fire,  and  the  sea  of  human  faces  looked  to 
gastly  in  that  colored  glare.  Towards  the  river  the  glow  bright- 
ened into  white  heat,  like  that  of  iron  in  a furnace  and  when 
the  veil  of  flame  parted ; for  an  instant  the  walls  beyond  looked 
like  the  brightest  gold.  Bed  cinders  were  flying  like  red-hot 
shot  carried  by  a fierce  wind,  hot  with  the  breath  of  the  fire  that 
almost  carried  us  off  our  legs  upon  turning  a corner,  and  which 
even  blew  several  trees  down. 

Neilson  and  I made  our  way  to  Chicago  Avenue,  and  turned 
down  to  Lasalle  street.  The  flames  had  spread  almost  as  far 
and  as  fast  as  we  had  walked.  The  crowd  surged  about,  pushing, 
shoving,  cursing,  shouting,  shrieking.  John’s  valise  gave  him  no 
end  of  trouble,  and  taught  me  to  pity  those  who  were  carrying 
larger  bundles.  At  last,  completely  tired  out,  he  laid  it  on  a 
doorstep  and  paused  to  wipe  the  sweat  from  his  forehead.  At 
that  instant  a hand  crept  round  from  behind,  and  the  valise  dis- 
appeared amid  the  crowd-"  in  less  than  no  time.”  John  rushed 


144 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


frantically  into  tlie  struggling  mob  shouting,  “ stop  thief !”  and 
swearing  “Lowland”  oaths  without  number,  but  neither  of  us  ever 
beheld  the  valise  again,  nor  did  we  ever  know  who  had  absconded 
with  it. 

We  were  suddenly  startled  by  a piercing  cry  for  help.  In  a 
window  of  the  upper  story  of  a lofty  building  which  the  flames 
were  rapidly  devouring,  the  figure  of  a girl  appeared,  extending 
her  arms  to  the  crowd  for  aid.  Several  of  us  stood  beneath  the 
window  in  a moment.  One  man  in  his  excitement  shouted  to  her 
to  jump,  and  a fireman  struck  him  on  the  mouth.  “ Do  you 
want  her  to  kill  herself,  you  wild  fool  ? Clear  out  and  keep 
your  infernal  mouth  shut.  Hold  on,  my  girl,”  he  cried,  “ we’ll 
have  a ladder  here  in  a moment,”  and  he  dashed  through  the 
crowd  to  fetch  one. 

But  the  heat  grew  terrible  around  us,  like  that  of  an  iron  fur- 
nace, and  "we  felt  that  before  the  ladder  could  be  procured  the 
upper  story  must  fall  in.  One  of  the  men  shouted  : “ Have  you 
got  a blanket  up  there?  Throw  it  down.”  She  seemed  stupe- 
fied with  fear  at  first,  but  after  a few  seconds  in  answer  to  our 
shout  of  “ a blanket,  a blanket,  a quilt ! a carpet ! anything!  ” 
Throw  it  down — we’ll  catch  you !” — she  disappeared  in  the  inte- 
rior of  the  room,  as  if  to  fetch  it.  Clouds  of  thick  smoke  com- 
menced to  pour  from  the  window,  first  black,  then  mingled  with 
sparks,  then  tinged  with  a glow  of  red,  which  told  us  that  the 
fire  had  burst  into  the  chamber.  For  a minute  we  thought  all 
was  over  with  the  unfortunate  girl,  but  she  reappeared  with  a 
large  bundle  of  something  dark,  and  threw  it  to  us.  It  proved 
to  be  a heavy  carpet,  the  tacks  still  clinging  to  its  binding,  prov- 
ing she  must  have  just  torn  it  from  the  floor.  A dozen  strong 
pair  of  arms  extended  it  immediately,  but  the  cinders  and  sparks 
were  falling  so  thickly  that  it  began  to  smoulder  and  burn  in  our 
very  hands.  “ Jump,  my  lassie,  jump  at  once,”  shouted  Neilson, 
“Don’t  be  afraid,  we’ll  catch  you.”  She  caught  hold  of  the 
window-frame  and  had  got  one  foot  upon  the  window-sill  when  a 
piece  of  the  stone  caping  above,  split  by  the  terrible  heat,  fell 
and  struck  her  upon  the  forehead  before  she  could  springy 
about  the  same  moment  the  ceiling  of  the  room  fell  in,  and  the 
fire  rushed  in  solid  sheets  from  the  window.  Luckily,  upon 
being  stunned  by  the  blow,  she  fell  forward  instead  of  backward, 
for  in  the  latter  case,  nothing  could  have  saved  her.  We  were 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


145 


well  braced  to  receive  the  shock,  and  she  fell  into  the  carpet. 
Had  we  been  better  prepared,  we  should  have  counteracted  the 
whole  force  of  the  shock  by  giving  the  carpet  a strong  pull  at 
the  proper  moment,  as  we  used  to  do  in  our  school-days,  when 
we  amused  ourselves  with  the  rough  game  of  blanket-tossing. 
As  it  was,  however,  the  shock  of  a body  falling  between  forty 
and  fifty  feet,  staggered  most  of  us,  and  those  nearest  the  side- 
walk fell  pell-mell  one  over  the  other,  under  the  hail  of  fire.  We 
who  stood  nearest  the  wall  held  the  young  woman  up,  however, 
and  John,  who  was  as  brawny  a Scot  as  any  in  the  Queen’s 
heavy  cavalry,  raised  her  in  his  arms  like  a child  and  insisted 
on  carrying  her  to  a place  of  safety,  although  several  others  vol- 
unteered their  services  for  the  same  purpose.  J ust  then  the  fire- 
man returned  breathless,  with  two  of  his  associates,  carrying  a 
ladder. 

“ By  Jove  (he  used  a stronger  phrase,  however,)  they  have  her 
there.  Did  she  jump  ? Damn  it,  they  had  carried  the  ladder 
two  or  three  blocks  down  Pearson  street  before  I could  get  it. 
What!  Not  dead  after  such  a jump  as  that!  Oh,  I see,  the 
carpet ! eh  ? Well,  I feel  better  now,  for  by — ” 

“ Fall  back  for  your  lives ! Look  out !”  cried  one  of  the  men, 
whose  keen  eye  had  observed  that  the  walls  of  the  tall  building 
were  swaying  and  trembling.  In  a moment  we  had  rushed  to 
the  opposite  side,  and  the  upper  portion  of  the  great  wall  tottered 
and  fell  in  a heap  of  glowing  timbers  and  stone,  which  vomited 
a storm  of  sparks,  hot  dust,  and  crimson  cinders  as  it  struck  the 
Nicolson.  “ Come  on  ! run  boys ! we’re  in  for  it  now,”  shouted 
John,  as  he  led  the  way  with  his  precious  burden.  He  stumbled 
once  or  twice  over  fallen  timbers,  broken  furniture,  and  other  de- 
bris, but  held  up  bravely,  and  we  were  soon  at  Huron  street. 
Some  notion  of  the  rapidity  with  which  the  flames  traveled  may 
be  gathered  from  the  fact,  that  by  the  time  we  had  arrived  at 
Elm  street,  the  roofs  of  the  houses  at  the  South-west  and  North- 
east corners  of  Chestnut  and  Lasalle  streets  had  caught  the 
flame. 

We  stopped  to  look  at  the  rescued  girl  who  had  not  yet  come 
to  consciousness.  There  was  a deep  cut  on  the  forehead,  a very 
pretty  forehead  it  was,  too,  half  concealed  by  the  fair  hair,  which 
fell  back  in  a bright  shower  over  John’s  shoulder.  But  a stream 
of  blood  was  staining  the  long  tresses,  and  little  drops  were  drip- 

boston  college  library 

CHESTNUT  H1LU  MASS. 


146 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


ping  over  John’s  coat.  “ The  poor  lassie  !”  he  cried,  “ George, 
lend  me  something  to  bind  up  this  ugly  cut,  the  poor  thing  will 
bleed  to  death.”  I gave  him  the  muffler  I wore  round  my  neck ; 
indeed,  it  was  a plaid  muffler  which  Neilson  had  given  me  him- 
self, and  which  now  came  in  useful.  He  bound  up  the  wound 
in  a barbarously  clumsy  manner — for  John  was  little  gentler 
than  a bear  in  such  matters — and  we  proceeded  on  our  march, 
with  the  fire  thundering  behind  us,  and  the  crowd  rushing  before 
us.  Then  John  had  his  pocket  picked,  but  encumbered  as  he 
was,  he  could  do  nothing,  and  bore  his  loss  philosophically.  I 
felt  a violent  tug  at  my  watch-chain,  but  it  was  found  of  very 
strong  links  of  silver,  in  imitation  of  a chain-cable,  and  resisted 
the  strain.  I turned  upon  the  thief  instantly  with  my  revolver 
cocked,  and  he  disappeared  in  the  crowd  at  once.  If  it  had  not 
been  that  I feared  to  injure  some  one  else,  I should  certainly 
have  shot  the  villain  that  dared  to  ply  his  trade  under  such  cir- 
cumstances. 

We  did  not  get  beyond  the  reach  of  the  flying  sparks  until  we 
had  got  as  far  as  North  avenue,  and  even  there,  the  sparks  fell 
nearly  as  thick  as  ever.  John  had  an  otter-skin  cap  on,  which 
he  had  brought  from  Canada  with  him,  and  it  caught  fire  from 
a falling  spark.  I snatched  it  off  his  head,  and  put  out  the  tiny 
flame,  but  I could  not  get  him  to  put  it  on  again. 

The  girl  recovered  when  we  were  traveling  towards  Fullerton 
avenne,  and  struggled  a little  in  John’s  arms  before  she  remem- 
bered what  had  happened.  “Let  me  down,”  she  said,  very 
gently.  “ I can  walk  now.”  “ No,  no,  my  lass,”  answered  John, 

“ you  must  not  walk  for  another  week  at  least,  keep  still  and  don’t 
talk,  I’ll  take  care  of  you.”  I think  she  was  quite  reassured  by 
the  expression  of  John’s  rough  good-humored  face,  blackened  as 
it  was  with  soot  and  smoke,  for  she  laid  her  head  on  his  shoul- 
der and  remained  as  quiet  as  a sleeping  child. 

Neilson  swore  that  he  was  going  to  walk  to  his  uncle  MacPher- 
son’s  farm,  which  was  at  least  ten  miles  off,  that  same  night,  and 
I insisted  that  he  should  do  nothing  of  the  kind,  but  rather 
come  with  me  to  a friend’s  house  on  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  a 
little  beyond  Clayborne  avenue.  But  John  was  as  obstinate  as 
most  Scotchmen  are,  and  I verily  believe  he  would  have  carried 
his  pretty,  but  heavy  burthen,  all  the  way  to  MacPherson’s,  were 
it  not  that  just  then  a whip-lash  was  laid  gently  across  his 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IT. 


149 


shoulders.  He  looked  up  with  a frown,  which  speedily  gave 
place  to  a broad  grin,  as  he  recognized  Stephen  Phillipson,  an 
old  English  friend,  who  was  guiding  his  buggy  slowly  through 
the  crowd  of  fugitives.  “ Hallo,  Neilson,”  he  exclaimed,  “ you’re 
Samaritanizing,  are  you?  Jump  up  here  with  your  girl.  I’ll 
take  care  of  you  both.  How  are  you  George  ? Burnt  out  I sup- 
pose. Sorry  I have  no  room  in  my  vehicle  for  you.  Never 
mind,  you  just  come  out  to  my  house  as  fast  as  you  can  walk, 
and  I’ll  make  you  comfortable  for  a night  or  two,  anyhow.  By 
George ! this  is  awful,  isn’t  it  ? I was  near  being  burnt  up  my- 
self. Came  into  the  city  to  see  a friend  and  I only  just  had 
time  to  get  the  harness  on  Billy  before  the  stable  was  burnt 
up.” 

And  so  the  good  natured  Mark  Tapley  chatted  on  until  we  got 
clear  of  the  crowd,  when  he  touched  up  the  horse,  and  drove, 
shouting,  “ we’ll  be  waiting  for  you.  George,  old  boy,  come  on 
as  quick  as  you  can.” 

Well,  this  is  nearly  all  I can  tell  you  about  the  fire,  that  you 
have  not  already  heard  in  the  papers.  I have  only  to  say  that 
we  are  getting  on  as  well  as  before  the  fire,  nearly,  only  we  have 
removed  to  St.  Louis.  But  I am  afraid  I am  going  to  lose  my 
room-mate,  for  John  has  been  making  fierce  love  to  Gertrude 
Petterson,  (the  name  of  his  protege,)  who  turns  out  to  be  a Swed- 
ish girl  from  Stockholm. 

Yours  Affectionately, 

George  Bubkinshaw. 

P.  S. — If  you  wish  to  publish  this,  as  you  hinted  in  your  last, 
you  must  invent  a “ nom  de plume”  G.  B. 

A YOUNG  LADY  RELATES  A ROMANTIC  INCIDENT  OF  HER  EXPERIENCE. 

Dear  Kate: 

-***  * * * * * 

Mary  and  I heard  the  bells  strike  the  alarm  that  night,  but  on 
referring  to  the  card,  which  we  always  kept  hanging  over  the 
mantel-piece  in  our  bed-room,  we  found  the  fire  was  a full  mile 
away,  and  we  determined  to  stay  indoors.  It  was  then  a little 
after  9 o’clock,  and  father  had  gone  over  the  river  to  see  a rela- 
tive. Mary  opened  the  window  of  our  room — which  was  on  the 
third  floor,  you  know — and  exclaimed,  “ Oh  Gussie ! it  must  be  an 
awful  fire,  I can  see  the  light  quite  plain  from  here !”  I looked 
out  and  saw  a great  red  light  in  the  direction  of  the  fire,  with 


150 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


great  yellow  flames  leaping  up  now  and  then  above  the  roofs  of 
the  houses.  We  liked  to  go  to  fires,  but  the  night  was  cold  and 
stormy,  and  we  thought  that  by  the  time  we  could  reach  the 
scene  the  fire  would  be  well  nigh  extinguished.  So  in  a little 
while  we  went  to  bed. 

It  was  a very  windy  night,  and  the  rattling  of  window  frames, 
and  banging  of  shutters,  kept  us  awake  until  wTe  heard  the  gen- 
eral alarm  booming  over  the  city.  We  were  so  tired  and  sleepy, 
having  been  at  a ball  the  night  before,  that  we  did  not  even  get 
up.  Of  course  we  never  imagined  that  we  were  in  the  least  dan- 
ger, although  we  could  see  that  the  light  of  the  fire  was  growing 
brighter  through  our  windows,  and  I believe  we  were  asleep  in 
ten  minutes  from  the  time  the  fire  bells  had  stopped  ringing. 

It  must  have  been  between  eleven  and  twelve  o'clock,  when 
we  were  awakened  by  a tremendous  banging  at  oar  door,  and 
before  we  could  get  up  to  unfasten  the  lock,  it  was  burst  wide 
open,  and  in  rushed  father  with  his  great  coat  on  and  a huge 
bundle  under  his  arm.  “ Get  up  at  once,  girls,”  he  cried,  “if  we 
are  not  out  of  the  house  in  two  minutes  we  shall  ah  be  burnt  up.” 
Just  then  I heard  a curious  crackling  sound  above  our  heads, 
the  plaster  began  to  break  and  fall  from  the  ceiling,  and  the  room 
filled  with  smoke.  Outside  we  could  hear  a deep  booming  roar 
as  of  steady  continuous  thunder.  We  knew,  immediately,  that 
the  house  was  on  fire  and  there  was  no  time  to  wait.  And  how 
terribly  careless  we  girls  are  about  our  clothes,  we  could  not  lay 
our  hands  upon  them  at  the  moment,  but  we  would  not  have  had 
time  to  put  them  all  on  in  any  case,  especially  in  that  stifling 
smoke  which  was  growing  denser  every  minute.  There  was  an 
old  pair  of  brother  George’s  trousers,  wdiich  I had  been  mending 
for  him,  hanging  on  a hook  behind  the  door,  and  I pulled  them 
on  at  once.  I caught  hold  of  the  first  articles  in  the  way  of  foot- 
gear I could  lay  my  hands  on,  and  threw  a water-proof  cloak 
over  my  shoulders,  which  completed  my  traveling  costume. 
Mary  had  only  time  to  throw  on  a gown  loosely,  and  snatch  up 
a few  clothes,  when  father  suddenly  seized  us  both  by  the  arms, 
and  almost  flung  us  outside  the  door.  Just  as  he  had  done  so 
the  crackling  above  our  heads  deepened  into  crashing  roar,  tli© 
ceiling  fell  in,  and  the  whole  room  was  blazing  in  an  instant  like 
a furnace.  Father  hurried  us  out  the  back  way,  through  the 
alley,  and  we  found  brother  George  with  the  horse  and  wagon  all 
ready  for  us.  The  poor  animal  was  terribly  frightened,  and 
prancing  in  terror,  for  the  sparks  were  falling  on  him  in  a perfect 
rain  of  fire,  but  he  became  quiet  when  father  spoke  to  him,  and 
patted  him,  although  he  continued  to  tremble  like  an  aspen  leaf. 
I did  not  find  that  I had  two  left  shoes  on  till  we  were  in  the 
wagon. 

As  we  drove  along  at  almost  a gallop  we  had  a plain  view  of 
the  fire,  and  a more  awful  sight  cannot  be  imagined.  The  flames 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


153 


seemed  to  touch  the  very  sky,  and  some  of  them  were  of  thn 
strangest  colors — deep,  rich  crimson  and  azure ; and  on  one 
occasion  I remember  seeing  a jet  of  greenish  fire  burst  through 
the  roof  of  a great  building  far  to  our  left.  The  roar  of  the  fire 
became  so  terrible  that  we  could  hear  nothing  else  for  a time, 
it  seemed  to  fill  one’s  brain,  and  we  could  hardly  distinguish 
what  each  other  safd  in  the  tumult  of  the  Hadean  hurricane. 

It  was  strange  to  see  the  rats  fleeing  through  the  burning 
streets  and  alleys,  and  dogs  and  cats  rushing  to  and  fro.  Several 
stray  cows  were  dashing  about  wildly  in  their  mad  teror,  and 
one  of  them  knocked  down  and  ran  over  a little  girl  right  before 
us.  Father  jumped  down  and  picked  her  up,  George  holding 
the  reins  meanwhile,  and  found  the  poor  little  thing  so  bruised 
that  she  could  not  walk.  We  were  pretty  closely  crowded  in  the 
little  wagon,  but  I took  her  upon  my  lap.  She  had  nothing  on 
her  but  a thin  night  dress,  and  was  severely  bruised  and  cut. 
George  took  off  his  coat  and  wrapped  it  about  her,  and  I hap- 
pened to  have  a handkerchief  in  the  pocket  of  my  cloak  with 
which  I bound  up  an  ugly  cut  upon  her  poor  little  arm. 

The  crowd  seemed  to  be  full  of  thieves,  pickpockets,  and 
roughs,  of  the  worst  description,  who  robbed,  swore,  and  fought, 
even  iu  such  a time  of  danger.  Of  course  the  police  could  do 
nothing  except  to  club  a rascal  now  and  then,  and  I remember 
seeing  one  scoundrel  snatch  a rich  fur  cloak  from  a lady’s 
shoulders  and  escape  with  his  booty. 

We  stayed  at  cousin  Phillip’s  house  that  night  on  West  Kan- 
dolpli  street.  At  one  time,  on  Monday,  we  were  afraid  that  the 
fire  would  spread  even  to  our  temporary  refuge,  but  it  came  no 
nearer  than  Jefferson  and  Adams  streets.  Father  and  George 
had  been  lucky  enough  to  save  some  clothes,  but  we  would  have 
been  rather  at  a loss  for  wearing  apparel,  had  not  cousin  Phillip 
been  able  to  lend  us  some  for  the  time  being.  In  a few  days, 
however,  we  received  some  from  our  sister  Jane  in  St.  Louis, 
and  we  soon  expect  to  be  comfortable  again,  as  we  are  about  to 
have  a new  house  built  very  near  the  old  residence.  Our  little 
protege  is  with  us  still,  and  has  quite  recovered. 

Heartily  yours,  Gussie. 

P.  S — .1  have  discarded  the  pants,  although  they  were  not  so 
very  bad  after  all.  I can  testify  that  they  did  excellent  service 
while  I wore  them,  and,  if  in  the  course  of  time  I ever  see  occa- 
sion to  don  them  again,  I shall  at  least  know  how  the  thing  is 
done. 

RUNNING  THE  GAUNTLET  OF  FLAME — INCIDENTS  OF  PERSONAL  EX- 
PERIENCE. 

I went  to  bed  pretty  early  that  Sunday,  feeling  unaccountably 
dull  and  tired — I had  a couple  of  handsomely  furnished  cham- 


154 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


bers  in  the  quietest  portion  of  Franklin  street,  my  bed-room 
being  separated  from  the  sitting-room  by  huge  folding  doors 
which  I always  closed  at  night.  In  the  sitting-room  I always 
placed  a rug  near  the  door  for  Milo,  a gigantic  bloodhound  of 
the  purest  breed,  whom  I had  purchased  when  a pup  from  a 
French  planter  in  Martinique,  and  is  the  best  and  truest  friend 
a man  could  possess,  having  saved  my  life  on  more  than  one 
occasion.  Milo  scarcely  ever  barks  or  bays,  he  never  makes 
too  free  by  placing  his  paws  on  your  shoulders  and  licking  your 
face — he  is  what  I might  call  a philosophically  phlegmatic  dog, 
never  making  a noise  without  good  reason. 

My  landlord  had  gone  over  the  river  with  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter to  visit  his  brother  who  lived  on  the  West-side.  And  thus 
with  no  company  but  Milo,  I went  to  bed,  Milo  lying  down  as 
usual  outside  the  door. 

I did  not  fall  asleep  for  nearly  an  hour  after  getting  into  bed, 
but  lay  awake  listening  to  the  moaning  and  shrieking  of  the 
wind  about  the  tall  chimney — its  weird  whistling  through  chinks, 
keyholes,  and  the  ghostly  noise  it  made  by  shaking  the  window- 
frames  and  swinging  the  creaking  shutters.  I began  to  think  of 
the  strange  theory  that  wind  was  in  itself  a living  intelligent  es- 
sence, and  that  there  might  be  a vital  principal  controlling  its 
movements  far  more  subtle  than  oxygen  or  nitrogen.  And  as  I 
listened  to  its  strange  whisperings  and  moanings,  I fell  into  a 
doze,  dreaming  that  the  wind  had  found  a tongue  and  was  talk- 
ing very  strange  things  through  the  keyhole.  Then  I dreamed 
that  Ethel  (we  were  engaged)  was  sitting  by  the  fire  in  the  par- 
lor, with  a little  bell  in  her  hand,  and  a strange  troubled  look  on 
her  face.  She  called  Milo,  and  tried  to  tie  the  bell  about  his  neck 
with  a black  ribbon,  and  after  much  trouble  she  got  it  on.  Then 
I thought  that  the  bell  began  to  ring,  although  Milo  did  not 
move,  the  sound  being  sweet  and  soft  at  first  as  though  faintly 
distant — then  to  grow  clearer,  and  deeper,  and  louder,  swelling 
in  volume  until  the  walls  of  the  house  thrilled  in  unison  with  its 
thunder-vibrating  tones.  Then  Milo  looked  up  in  Ethel’s  face 
as  if  wondering,  and  Ethel  patted  his  neck  with  an  anxious  face, 
and  then  the  tones  of  the  bell  seemed  to  change  into  rushing 
thunder,  and  I awoke  with  a short  and  strange  sense  of  fear — 
which  increased  when  I really  heard  the  deep  sound  of  the  fire 
bells,  rolling  out  their  deep  summons  on  the  night  air.  I sat 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


155 


up  instantly,  bewildered  for  the  moment,  and  then  I heard  Milo 
give  one  long  deep  bay  and  throw  himself  against  the  folding 
doors.  I leaped  up  and  opened  them  to  find  the  room  filled 
with  the  lurid  light  of  a vast  conflagration  several  blocks  away 
Northward.  Vast  serpents  of  flames  reared  their  quivering 
tongues  upward  as  though  to  lick  the  stars,  a fiery  rain  of  crim- 
son sparks  was  being  carried  far  over  the  surrounding  buildings 
by  the  fierce  wind  which  wrestled  horribly  with  the  pythons  of 
fire  that  were  enveloping  the  buildings  before  me  in  their  glow- 
ing sinuous  folds.  The  streets  were  filled  with  a hurrying,  strug- 
gling, panic-stricken  crowd,  and  above  the  muffled  thunder  of 
myriad  feet,  the  cries  and  exclamations  of  the  fugitives,  and  the 
shrill  shriek  of  the  well-nigh  useless  fire-engines — above  all 
boomed  the  roar  of  the  advancing  sea  of  flames,  far  more  awful 
than  the  thunder  of  the  Atlantic  wave  tempest  upon  the  rocky 
shore. 

That  there  was  not  an  instant  to  be  lost  I could  see  at  once 
— building  after  building  sinking  in  the  fiery  waves  even  as  I 
looked  on.  Dressing  myself  with  all  possible  haste  and  securing 
the  few  valuable  trinkets  that  lay  within  reach.  I stood  up  on 
the  threshold  and  cast  a lingering  glance  upon  the  richly  fur- 
nished chambers  which  I had  decorated  in  the  style  that  Ger- 
man students  love.  To  save  even  my  portmanteau  would  be 
impossible — my  library,  furniture,  clothes,  pictures,  silver- 
mounted  hookahs,  and  meerschaums — what  could  I save?  I 
looked  again  at  the  towering,  quivering  wall  of  flame  now  only 
about  five  hundred  yards  distant,  and  taking  the  only  article  of 
value  I had  yet  time  to  seize — a silver-mounted  Smith  & 
Wesson’s  revolver,  rushed  down  the  stairs  and  gained  the  street, 
Milo  giving  a deep  rolling  bay  of  relief. 

We  were  not  an  instant  too  soon.  Scarcely  had  we  advanced 
half  a block  when  a vast  tongue  of  flame  rose  to  an  enormous 
height  and  then  seemed  suddenly  to  hurl  itself  forward  like  a 
stream  of  yellow  lightning,  piercing  the  brick  walls  of  the  house 
we  had  left  as  though  it  had  been  smitten  by  a thunder  bolt. 
In  about  five  minutes,  as  near  as  I can  calculate,  the  whole 
structure  tottered  and  crumbled  into  the  Gehenna  of  flame  that 
surged  around  it. 

Of  course,  Ethel  Summerfield  was  my  first  thought  as  I fled 
over  the  wooden  pavements  with  the  furious  flames  in  rapid 


156 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


pursuit,  and  the  wind  showering  a hail  of  sparks  upon  me  and 
Milo.  Ethel  surely  must  be  out  of  danger,  I thought,  yet  the 
memory  of  that  dream  filled  me  with  a ghastly  fear  as  I 
hurried  toward  the  residence  of  the  Summerfields,  on  Wabash 
avenue.  I am  not  superstitious — in  fact  I am  rather  skeptical, 
but  the  strongest  minds  are  liable  to  be  impressed  by  trivial 
incidents  at  such  times,  and  I felt  unusually  anxious.  I have 
often  thought  since  that  there  is  some  truth  in  the  beautiful 
theory  of  magnetic  sympathy,  the  strange  odic  telegraph  of 
thought,  by  which  the  mind  in  trouble  calls  for  aid  to  the  dis- 
tant one  it  loves  best.  Thoughts  like  these  flitted  through  my 
excited  brain  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning  as  I rushed  over  the 
smooth  pavement,  with  Milo  by  my  side. 

Everywhere  I beheld  dense  crowds  of  fugitives  rushing  to- 
wards the  lake  with  bundles,  furniture  piled  upon  little  vehicles, 
mattrasses,  valises,  every  species  of  household  goods — while  the 
sidewalks  were  frequently  piled  up  with  valuables,  the  owners  of 
which  had  entertained  the  vain  hope  of  being  able  to  hire  a 
vehicle  in  which  to  convey  them  away,  and  which  they  were 
finally  compelled  to  abandon  to  the  all-calcining  flames  which 
rapidly  swept  onward  in  a gigantic  crescent,  like  an  organized 
host  of  fiery  spirits,  while  the  white-faced  moon  looked  down 
over  all  from  a canopy  of  clouds  crimson-fringed  in  the  light  of 
the  conflagration,  and  seemed  to  marshal  the  towrering  spectres 
of  flame. 

A few  moments  later  I arrived  at  Wabash  Avenue.  The  fire 
had  not  yet  reached  any  of  its  splendid  maible  palaces,  although 
its  fiery  serpent  arms  went  quivering  over  the  dark  housetops 
of  yet  uninjured  blocks  wrhich  lay  between  me  and  that  ocean  of 
scorching  flame,  standing  out  in  ebony-black  relief  against  the 
blinding  brightness.  I almost  fancied  that  the  griffin-tongued 
flames  rose  higher  over  the  distant  roofs  and  bent  over  the  dark- 
ness as  though  to  watch  me  with  their  awful  glare. 

Had  Ethel’s  father  returned  from  Boston  whither  he  had  gone 
for  a few  days  on  some  commercial  business,  or  had  she  a bet- 
ter protector  than  a few  servants  of  questionable  integrity,  I 
should  have  felt  less  anxious  as  I stood  beneath  the  gloomy 
marble  portico,  and  rang  the  silver-toned  door-bell  as  it  had 
probably  never  been  rung  before.  To  my  great  relief  I heard  a 
sound  as  of  little  feet  pattering  down  the  great  staircase  and  the 
next  moment  Ethel  was  in  my  arms. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


157 


“ O,  George  ! I have  been  so  frightened  at  the  great  fire  ; papa 
has  not  come  back,  and  the  servant’s  left  the  house  two  hours 
ago  and  have  not  returned.”  “ My  God ! did  they  not  tell  you, 
Ethel  ? Did  you  not  know  the  danger  you  are  in  ? In  twenty 
minutes  this  house  will  be  on  fire.  Is  Mesty  in  the  stable?  ” 

“ Yes.” 

Mesty  (short  for  Mephistopheles)  is  the  name  of  the  splendid 
black  horse  who  saved  us  that  night. 

“ Ethel,  there  is  not  an  instant  to  spare.  Run  up  stairs  at 
once  and  get  whatever  warm  clothes  you  can  lay  hands  on  whilo 
I harness  Mesty.  Quick,  and  w ait  for  me  at  the  door.  Good 
heavens !”  I exclaimed,  as  a giant  tougue  of  fire  shot  toward  us 
from  a distant  building  and  seized  upon  a house  but  a few  hun- 
dred yards  away,  “it  will  be  a close  race  between  life  and  death.” 

Ethel  was  as  brave  and  noble  a little  woman  as  man  ever 
loved  She  did  not  become  faint  or  dizzy,  or  ask  useless  ques- 
tions— although  the  news  of  her  imminent  danger,  of  which  she 
had  had  but  a faint  suspicion,  and  must  have  been  a voilent 
shock  to  any  nerves — but  darted  off  at  once,  wdiile  I rushed  to 
the  stable-door.  The  house  being  situated  in  that  part  of 
Wabash  Avenue  from  whence  we  could  not  have  obtained  a 
good  view  of  the  terribly  rapid  advance  of  the  fire  in  its  earlier 
stages.  Ethel’s  ignorance  of  her  situation  could  be  accounted 
for — especially  as  the  servants  had  been  to  much  occupied  with 
their  own  safety  when  the  news  was  brought  to  them  by  a 
fugative  from  Van  Buren  street,  to  attend  properly  to  the  rescue 
of  their  employer’s  daughter.  I afterwards  learned  that  they  had 
gone  to  Ethel’s  room,  and  not  finding  her  there,  fled,  without 
further  search,  calling  on  her  to  save  herself  at  once,  a summons 
which  she  never  heard.  Upon  finding  herself  alone,  she  concluded 
that  the  servants  had  merely  gone  to  look  at  the  fire,  whose  real 
extent  and  fury  she  knew  nothing  of — certainly  a strange  pro- 
ceeding on  their  part  to  leave  the  house  unguarded — and  would 
shortly  return. 

I had  to  pass  through  an  alley  at  the  rear  of  the  garden  to 
reach  the  stable.  The  crimson  sparks  were  falling  in  vast 
showers,  intermingled  with  fragments  of  blazing  shingles,  and 
timbers,  borne  towards  me  in  a slanting,  fiery  rain,  by  the  fierce 
wind  which  blew  upon  me,  heated  by  its  wrestle  with  the  rushing 
fire,  hotter  than  the  breath  of  the  red  simoon.  And  even  as  I 
reached  the  door  of  Mesty’s  stable  a burning  brand  lighted  upon 


15S 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


the  roof,  and  the  next  instant  the  yellow  serpent  flames  were 
dancing  a demon  dance  among  the  dry  shingles  and  inflamable 
roofing.  No  coachman  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  great  door  was 
securely  fastened  with  a stout  wooden  bar,  that  would  defy 
human  strength  to  break  it.  The  side  door  was,  however, 
fastened  only  by  a lock,  the  bolts  being  rarely  drawn.  This  I 
blew  open  with  my  pistol,  and  Milo  and  I rushed  in  together,  ju^t 
as  the  blazing  hay  began  to  fall  from  the  loft.  I quickly  unfast- 
ened the  halter,  Mesty  whinneying  with  joy,  while  he  trembled 
in  every  limb  as  I hitched  him  to  the  light  buggy  and  flung  the 
great  doors  open,  and  scarcely  had  I leaped  into  the  seat,  when 
the  flimsy  buildings  on  both  sides  of  the  alley  burst  into  flames. 
Mesty,  however,  shot  through  uninjured,  save  where  the  blazing 
hay  had  fallen  on  his  sleek  black  skin,  and  almost  leaped  to  the 
door  of  the  house,  where  Ethel  stood  awaiting,  well  wrapped  in  her 
grey  cloak;  and  as  she  sprang  into  the  seat  beside  me,  a bright  flame 
ran  like  lightning  along  the  cornices,  and  we  knew  that  the 
house  was  beyond  hope. 

Desirous  of  gaining  the  prairie  as  soon  as  possible  I directed 
our  course  to  the  southwest,  intending  to  gain  some  distance  by 
pursuing  the  diagonal  course  of  Blue  Island  Avenue,  provided 
we  were  fortunate  enough  to  reach  it.  Mesty  shot  through  Madi- 
son street  and  turned  the  corner  of  La  Salle,  like  a race-horse, 
Milo  running  ahead  with  his  long,  untiring  gallop.  It  was  not 
until  we  were  rushing  along  the  white  pavement  that  we  saw  the 
terrible  danger  before  us.  The  houses  upon  the  left  side  were  a 
mass  of  burning  timbers  and  glowing  brick,  and  upon  the  right 
the  flames  would  soon  gain  a foothold.  Ear  away  beyond  Jack- 
son  street  the  flames  were  stretching  their  fiery  arms  across  La 
Salle,  barring  our  advance  with  an  impassable  rampart  of  the 
destructive  element.  Mesty  stopped,  rearing  in  terror.  There 
was  no  retreat.  The  fire  was  behind  us,  and  it  were  madness  to 
approach  the  roaring  hell  of  flame  in  the  distance.  Ethel  clung 
closer  to  me,  shuddering  as  we  watched  towering  steeples  and 
giant  domes  sink  like  fantastically-shaped  fragments  of  coal  into 
the  terrible  furnace  beyond. 

But  Jackson  street  stretched  away  to  the  right  and  left,  only  a 
few  hundred  feet  ahead.  If  we  turned  up  to  the  right  two  or 
three  squares,  and  then  made  a turn  to  the  left,  a hard  gallop 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


159 


might  save  us.  I patted  Mesty ’s  coal-black  flank  and  spoke  to 
him  coaxingly  as  we  turned  the  corner  and  sped  along  Jackson 
street.  As  we  passed  the  first  square,  we  beheld  the  red  flames 
leaping  across  the  streets  far  away  to  the  right  and  left ; and 
thus  the  fire  glared  upon  us  at  every  street  opening  in  the  vast 
blocks  until  we  came  to  Canal  street,  stretching  widely  to  right 
and  left  of  us, — the  hurricane  of  flame  came  roaring  up  on  the 
left,  but  away  to  the  right  the  buildings  remained  intact,  and 
Mesty  shot  down  it  like  the  goblin  steed  of  the  Wild  Huntsman 
in  the  German  legend.  And  now  it  was  truly  a run  for  life  or 
death, — a fierce  conflagration  on  three  sides  of  us,  advancing 
with  the  terrible  swiftness  of  a prairie  fire,  and  the  remorseless 
fiames  rushing  to  cut  off  our  only  chance  of  escape  in  front.  The 
voice  of  the  fire  bells  had  been  drowned  in  the  fiery  waves,  and 
the  terrible  earth-shaking  roar  of  the  flame-tempest  thundered 
nearer  and  nearer,  drowning  all  other  sounds,  while  the  blood- 
red  glow  before  us  brightened  into  flame  on  the  western  side. 
In  another  instant  the  many-tongued  fire  was  licking  up  the 
walls  of  the  houses  on  our  right,  and  ahead  it  was  stretching  its 
long  arms  across  the  splendid  thoroughfare,  and  should  it  seize 
upon  the  opposite  side  ere  we  could  pass,  escape  was  impossible. 
We  were  scarce  a hundred  yards  from  the  fire,  and  its  hot 
breath,  spark-laden,  flew  in  showers  about  us.  “ Now,  Mesty, 
your  best,”  I cried,  urging  him  forward  with  a stroke  of  the  whip. 
He  answered  by  laying  himself  out  like  a grey-hound,  and  dash- 
ing through  that  fiery  blockade  with  almost  the  rapidity  of  the 
bright  tongues  of  flame.  And  as  we  shot  beneath  the  arch  of 
fire,  with  bent  heads  and  hard-held  breath,  the  tower  of  a church 
just  before  us  tottered  in  the  folds  of  the  anaconda  flames,  and 
scarcely  had  we  passed  when  it  hurled  a mountain  pile  of  ruins 
upon  the  spot  touched  by  our  wheels  but  an  instant  before.  We 
had  thus  passed  the  great  belt  of  fire,  and  I therefore  pulled 
Mesty  down  to  an  honest  trot,  which  was  now  sufficient  to  enable 
us  to  keep  in  advance  of  the  whirlwind  of  flame. 

Neither  of  us  spoke  verbally,  but  we  drew  a long  breath  as  we 
heard  the  crackling  roar  grow  fainter  behind,  and  Ethel  rested 
her  head  on  my  shoulder  weary  with  the  terror  of  that  awful 
ride:  we  must  have  felt  as  Perseus  did  when  persued  by  the  Gor- 
gons  over  sea  and  land,  and  the  thunder  of  the  pursuing  ele- 
ment sounded  not  less  fearful  than  the  roar  of  the  brazen  wings 
of  the  mythical  fiends. 


160 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


But  whoever  gazes  upon  such  a conflagration  must  feel  a sen- 
timent of  superstitious  awe  akin  to  that  of  the  Oriental  fire- 
worshippers,  and  the  ghastly  fancy  that  there  may  be  some 
truth  in  the  Gheber’s  creed — that  fire  is  a living  intelligent  being, 
invariably  grows  upon  the  mind  as  one  follows  the  merry  dance 
of  the  flames  over  roof  and  tower,  along  cornice  and  gable — or 
its  serpentine  embrace  of  the  tall  steeple  from  whose  summit  it 
streams  in  tresses  of  fire — or  its  triumphant  roaring  rush,  through 
every  window  of  the  huge  building  once  deemed  fire-proof — or 
the  weird  manner  in  which  it  bends  and  stretches  its  fiery  neck 
over  great  distances  to  lick  up  dwellings,  one  would  fancy  be- 
yond its  reach.  And  when  it  fails  to  leap  the  gap  which  sepa- 
rates it  from  what  it  seeks  to  devour,  how  angrily  it  will  often 
recoil,  only  to  rear  itself  upward  and  backward,  as  though  to 
gather  all  its  subtle  python  strength  for  another  giant  leap  of  a 
few  hundred  feet.  Surely  at  such  a sight  we  have  all  felt  a hor- 
rible suspicion  that  there  might  be  a terrible  truth  in  Poe’s 
personification  of  fire  in  the  “ Bells.”  And  as  the  eerie  verse 
comes  to  our  mind,  we  feel  that  the  strange  thoughts  therein  are 
but  the  utterance  of  a wild  fancy  that  has  haunted  many  a 
Drain. 

Hear  the  loud  alarm  bells, 

Brazen  bells. 

What  a tale  of  terror  their  turbulency  tells, 

Too  much  horrified  to  speak, 

They  can  only  shriek,  shriek. 

Out  of  tune. 

In  a clamorous  appealing  to  the  mercy  of  the  fire, 

In  a mad  expostulation  with  the  deaf  and  frantic  fire, 

Leaping  higher,  higher,  higher. 

With  a desperate  desire, 

And  a resolute  endeavor, 

How,  now  to  sit,  or  never, 

By  the  side  of  the  pale  faced  moon. 

The  sublimely  terrific  grandeur  of  such  a spectacle  of  lightning 
flames  as  pierced  the  black  vault  of  the  North-western  heavens 
on  that  awful  night,  could  perhaps  be  properly  described  but  by 
one  pen — that  of  the  author  of  “ The  Last  Days  of  Pompeii.” 
The  only  scene  that  could  surpass  the  horror  of  this  stupendous 
conflagration  would  be  the  destruction  of  a city  by  a mighty  vol- 
canic eruption. 

Marble  fronts,  huge  structures  of  iron  and  brick,  temples  of 
hewn  stone  seemed  to  crumble,  into  sand  in  that  glowing  flame 
hotter  than  the  famed  seven-times-heated  furnace  of  Nebuchad- 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


161 


nezzar.  Church  spires  vanished  in  awful  light  to  give  place  to 
pinnacles  of  flame;  vast  stone  slabs  were  calcined  or  split  as 
though  by  lightning  The  huge  dome  of  the  court-house  long 
towered  darkly  against  the  fiery  horizon,  like  the  vast  helmet  of 
some  genius  of  fire  in  Oriental  story  ; yet  at  length  it,  too,  bore 
its  garland  of  serpent  flame  and  sank  in  a hell  of  fire-billows 
which  hurled  their  red  spray  to  the  very  clouds.  What  fire- 
proof building  could  withstand  a heat  in  which  iron  became  as 
wax? — the  very  pyramids  of  Egypt  could  scarcely  be  relied 
on  as  places  of  safety  if  exposed  to  such  a flame. 

How  we  drove  over  the  river  before  the  “Red  Death”  in  our  rear, 
which  rushed  after  our  flying  wheels,  had  devoured  all  the  bridges 
in  its  hungry  rage,  I can  scarcely  tell.  It  was  all  like  a terrible 
nightmare,  of  which  I can  recollect  little  but  the  wild  tumult 
of  panic-stricken  crowds  before  and  the  roar  of  flames  behind, 
the  rush  of  feet  followed  by  the  mad  rush  of  the  demon  fire — 
oaths  and  curses  mingled  with  prayers  and  sobs,  shrieks  of  hid- 
eous fear  and  the  wild  laughter  of  women  whom  horror  had  con- 
verted into  maniacs — the  cries  of  helpless  children  and  tender 
girls,  flying,  half  nude,  from  death — the  neighing  of  horses,  mad- 
dened with  fear,  and  the  roaring  of  terrified  oxen — the  mad 
shouts  of  reckless  men  crazy  with  drink,  and  the  groans  of 
fugitives  knocked  down  and  trampled  upon  in  the  torrent  throng 
of  struggling  men,  women,  children,  horses  and  vehicles,  that 
poured  along  the  ash-strewn  pavements  and  bridges  under  the 
storm  of  fire-flakes.  Many  a fair  girl  lost  her  wealth  of  beau- 
tiful hair,  many  rich  dresses  and  poor  ones  as  well,  were  rid- 
dled with  pellets  of  flame  that  terrible  night.  It  seems  a miracle 
that  the  loss  of  life  by  fire  was  not  at  least  ten  times  greater. 

Barrels  of  explosive  oil  piled  in  storehouses  burst  like  shells 
and  their  fiercely  blazing  contents  ran  streaming  along  the  gut- 
ters. Huge  distilleries  burnt  fiercely,  and  the  sheets  of  azure- 
tinged  flame  that  rushed  through  windows  and  doors  to  wrestle 
with  the  less  subtle  tongues  of  yellow  fire,  showed  that  alcohol 
was  feeding  the  conflagration.  But  when  the  fire  had  leaped 
the  river  in  pursuit  of  its  victims,  and  had  licked  the  huge  gas- 
ometer with  its  flickering  tongue,  then  as  the  earth  seemed  to 
vomit  forth  a vast  sheet  of  lightning  toward  heaven,  and  miles 
of  blazing  edifices  trembled  to  their  heated  foundations  at  the 
concussion  of  that  dull,  awful  thunder,  it  seemed  as  though  the 
horrors  of  the  vast  catastrophe  had  culminate^ . 


162 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


The  fire  engines  had  long  given  their  last  despairing  shriek 
ere  we  found  ourselves  in  safety.  The  water-works  buildings  had 
crumbled  in  upon  and  paralyzed  the  giant  engines  that  had  sup- 
plied the  water- veins  of  the  great  city  now  in  flames.  Men  who 
had  tried  to  save  their  houses  toiled  with  all  the  vigor  which 
human  bone  and  brawn  and  muscle  can  endure,  sweating  at  every 
pore  in  an  atmosphere  of  stifling  heat,  and  suffering  a thirst 
which  they  could  find  no  water  to  alleviate,  swallowed  glass 
after  glass  of  the  strong  liquor  that  stupified  them  into  forget- 
fulness of  the  approach  of  the  remorseless  element,  and  fell 
intoxicated  upon  the  scorching  pavement  to  be  withered  to  little 
mounds  of  black  ashes  by  the  victorious  all-devouring  demon  of 
flame. 

Near  Jefferson  street  we  missed  Milo,  and  paused  an  instant 
to  look  after  him.  "We  had  seen  him  dart  safely  through  the 
fiery  gauntlet  far  ahead  of  us,  yet  shortly  after  he  had  dropped 
behind  and  we  had  not  perceived  him  since.  I uttered  the  well- 
known  cry,  and  above  the  roar  and  crash  of  the  approaching 
flames  and  the  muttering  thunder  of  the  flying  crowds,  I heard 
the  belHike  voice  of  the  giant  hound  roll  in  answering  diapason. 
While  wondering  what  could  have  detained  our  faithful  friend  so 
long,  Milo  appeared  toiling  after  us  with  a great  bundle  of  some- 
thing partly  on  his  neck — partly  in  his  mouth.  He  bayed  again 
as  soon  as  he  beheld  us,  but  ran  wearily  as  though  tired  out. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  I immediately  hastened  to  relieve  him 
of  his  burthen,  when  I found  to  my  astonishment  that  said  bur- 
then was — a little  girl ! Her  little  arms  were  clasped  around  his 
great  neck,  and  she  lay  partly  upon  the  dog’s  great  shoulders, 
he  retaining  hold  of  a fragment  of  her  dress,  as  though  fearful 
of  losing  his  precious  freight.  The  noble  dog  must  have  carried 
the  child  at  least  a mile  without  our  knowledge,  but  our  careless- 
ness in  his  regard  was  chiefly  owing  to  our  knowledge  of  his  won- 
derful powers  of  speed  and  endurance  with  his  calm  courage,  won- 
derful even  in  a dog  of  his  splendid  breed.  I gave  the  little  girl, 
half  dead  with  fright  and  exhaustion,  into  Ethel’s  care,  and 
making  Milo  spring  in  and  lie  down  at  my  feet,  I shook  the 
reins  and  Mesty  trotted  on  bravely.  I patted  and  petted 
the  noble  dog,  tokens  of  affection  which  he  only  received  with  a 
wag  of  the  tail  and  an  upward  glance  from  his  great  dark  eyes, 
as  much  as  to  say : ‘-It’s  nothing,  I have  only  done  my  duty — ” 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


163 


Milo  was  never  violently  demonstrative  in  affection  or  gratitude. 
As  soon  as  our  little  charge  recovered  sufficiently  to  speak,  she 
threw  her  arms  around  Ethel’s  neck  with  a cry  of  joy  and  kissed 
her.  “ Why,  George/’  exclaimed  Ethel,  “ it  is  little  Mary  Wil- 
liams,” and  I looked  round  at  the  child’s  face  to  recognize  the 
golden-haired  blue-eyed  little  daughter  of  Fred.  Williams,  our 
mutual  friend  and  neighbor. 

Little  Mary  told  us  her  story,  as  soon  as  she  was  able  to  speak 
between  her  sobs  of  terror.  It  appeared  that  Fred  and  his  wife 
had  been  obliged  to  leave  their  house  and  fly  with  such  haste 
that  they  had  not  even  time  to  take  their  clothes  with  them,  but 
were  compelled  to  hurry  along  in  the  throng  of  fugitives,  Mrs. 
Williams  taking  little  Mary  in  her  arms.  In  a sudden- rush  of 
the  crowd  mother  and  child  fell,  and  were  separated  by  the  panic- 
stricken  crush  of  fugitives.  The  little  timid  girl  was  soon  left 
far  behind  the  fleeing  crowd.  She  ran  on  and  on,  while  the 
flames  thundered  behind,  with  a sound  like  the  continuous  roar 
of  unearthly  artillery,  until  exhausted  with  terror  and  weariness, 
she  sank  down  upon  the  pavement  which  smoked  in  the  breath 
of  the  fierce  heat.  The  next  thing  she  remembered  was  the  touch 
of  Milo’s  cold  muzzle  against  her  cheek,  and  the  deep  bay  of  the 
hound  calling  for  help.  She  knew  the  great  hound  well,  and  put 
her  little  arms  around  her  great  neck.  We  never  heard  Milo’s 
summons  for  aid  in  our  blind  anxiety  to  save  ourselves,  but  the 
brave  dog  seized  the  helpless  little  child  by  its  dress,  and  having 
encouraged  her  to  get  upon  its  back,  galloped  after  us  just  as  the 
fiery  breath  of  the  vast  fire  began  to  singe  the  hair  on  his  tawny 
skin.  I always  looked  upon  my  pet  almost  as  a human  friend, 
and,  indeed,  he  has  since  been  doubly  dear  to  me. 

Ethel  tried  to  soothe  the  little  sufferer,  assuring  her  that  papa 
and  mamma  were  quite  safe,  and  that  she  would  soon  see  them 
again,  till  the  poor  little  child  sobbed  herself  to  sleep  in  Ethel’s 
lap. 

Not  knowing  but  that  the  whole  of  the  West-side  as  yet  but 
partly  injured  might  shortly  be  swallowed  up  in  flame.  I 
deemed  it  best  to  drive  to  the  prairie  at  once  rather  than  seek 
for  any  temporary  shelter.  The  vast  elevator  on  the  river  be- 
hind us  burst  into  a tempest  of  flame  as  we  drove  slowly  through 
the  flying  torrent  of  vehicles  and  human  beings  that  surged 
through  the  streets  glowing  crimson  in  the  awful  glare.  The 


164 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


burning  elevator  was  truly  a grandly  awful  siglit  standing  like  a 
shadowy  Typhon  in  the  storm  of  fire,  and  vomiting  a column  of 
smoke,  tongues  of  flame,  and  clouds  of  crimson  sparks  to  the 
glowing  skies.  Even  situated  as  we  were  then,  we  found  the 
atmosphere  almost  suffocationg  with  smoke  and  heat,  until  it 
seemed  that  the  very  air  had  caught  the  fire  and  was  burning 
behind  us. 

Mothers  were  calling  for  their  children,  children  for  their 
fathers,  husbands  for  their  wives,  and  lovers  for  their  sweethearts 
— all  separated  from  one  another  on  that  terrible  race  for  life 
or  death.  Delicate  women  and  children  were,  in  many  instances, 
walking  barefoot  along  the  crowded  streets  with  but  the 
scantiest  clothing  on  their  limbs,  and  I particularly  remember 
noticing  a very  pretty  young  girl,  who  must  have  had  barely 
time  to  leave  her  bed  ere  the  room  took  fire,  as  she  was  clad  in 
nothing  but  her  night  clothes  and  a thin  shawl.  I felt  relieved 
when  I saw  a good-hearted  policeman,  who  was  escorting  his 
wife  and  children  to  a place  of  safety,  rap  his  great  warm  coat 
around  her  shivering  limbs  and  take  her  under  his  special  pro- 
tection. 

Women  and  men  were  conveying  great  bundles  away  in  wheel- 
barrows ; their  bundles  would  get  knocked  off  every  now  and 
then  by  some  rough  passer  by.  A few  had  been  lucky  enough  to 
save  their  stores,  but  the  greater  number  had  barely  time  to  save 
more  than  a bed  or  a quantity  of  clothes,  bundled  roughly 
together,  and  tied  up  in  a huge  parcel. 

Daylight  had  not  yet  broken  when  we  drove  out  on  the  prairie, 
over  which  the  vast  fantastic  shadows  of  the  awful  fire  lengthened 
and  contracted  weirdly  in  the  lurid  light  which  gleamed  far  over 
the  level  plain,  and  tinged  the  crests  of  the  ripples  on  the  troubled 
lake  with  a ruby  glow.  I intended  to  drive  Ethel  at  once  to 
Evanston,  where  she  had  many  wealthy  friends,  and  where  I had 
myself  purchased  a little  dwelling  for  our  future  home. 

But  seeing  the  prairie  crowded  with  shivering  groups  of  fugi- 
tives I though  it  would  be  as  well  to  look  about  us  and  endeavor 
to  find  Mr.  or  Mrs.  Williams,  that  they  might  feel  at  rest  about 
their  little  girl.  I felt  certain  that  Milo  could  assist  us  in  this, 
knowing  that  he  would  find  our  friends  if  in  the  crowd  at  all.  So 
I drove  Mesty  slowly  among  the  groups  of  homeless  fugitives, 
and  motioning  to  Milo  to  jump  out,  I gave  the  well-known  signal. 


WEDDING  AMID  THE  RUINS.  A ROMANTIC  INCIDENT  FOLLOWING  THE  FIRE. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  167 

and  he  started  off  at  once  as  if  perfectly  aware  of  what  I wanted 
him  to  do. 

Soon  after  I heard  Milo’s  bark,  and  as  I turned  round,  Fred 
Williams  and  his  wife  came  up  pale  and  weary.  To  describe 
their  delight  on  finding  little  Mary  safe,  or  the  manner  in  which 
Milo  was  petted  and  hugged  would  weary  the  reader.  1 pro- 
posed to  take  the  child  to  Evanston  with  us  that  night,  but  as 
they  were  going  to  Calumet  almost  immediately  in  a friend’s 
carriage,  Ethel  resigned  her  charge  to  them. 

Then  as  we  drove  towards  Evanston  we  cast  many  a look 
behind  at  the  flames  which  roared  to  heaven,  until  the  lurid 
light  grew  into  a fainter  red  in  the  distance,  and  the  grey  dawn 
broke  over  the  scene  of  devastation.  And  the  giant  pillar  of 
smoke  mingled  itself  with  the  clouds  behind  us  as  Mesty’s  iron- 
shod  hoofs  rang  musically  over  the  pavement  of  Evanston. 

I soon  placed  Ethel  in  the  care  of  her  relations,  and  drove 
Mesty  down  to  my  new  house  in  the  suburbs. 

* Old  Mary  Delany,  to  whom  I had  given  the  charge  of  things 
in  my  absence,  threw  open  the  door  as  I checked  Mesty  and 
leaped  to  the  gate. 

She  was  delighted  to  see  me  safe,  and  was  terribly  frightened 
at  the  account  of  our  narrow  escape.  I put  Mesty  in  the  new 
stable,  curried  and  combed,  and  washed  his  graceful  black  limbs, 
and  having  procured  some  corn  and  oats,  and  given  him  a good 
meal,  I went  into  the  house  where  Mary  had  a good  hot  break- 
fast waiting  for  me,  which  I did  full  justice  to,  while  I detailed 
to  her  the  particulars  of  our  race  through  the  burning  city. 

Neither  Ethel’s  father  nor  I had  lost  seriously  by  the  fire,  his 
real  estate  property  being  situated  in  the  suburbs  which  the 
flames  had  spared.  What  city  property  we  had  lost  was  fully 
insured — and  unless  the  companies  should  fail,  the  catastrophe 
would  finally  only  occasion  us  a temporary  inconvenience.  Two 
days  after  the  conflagration  he  met  his  daughter,  and  the  meet- 
ing was — what  every  such  meeting  ought  to  be. 

Ethel’s  father  determined  that  the  marriage  should  come  off 
next  Sunday  as  had  been  intended — since  Ethel  would  not  per- 
mit him  to  send  East  for  any  wedding  gifts.  So  we  had  a quiet 
little  wedding  in  Evanston,  unattended  save  by  a few  old  friends, 
among  whom  were  Fred.  Williams  with  his  wife,  and  little  Mary 
who  had  quite  recovered  her  health  and  spirits.  We  had  no 


168 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


white  robes,  or  orange  blossoms,  or  jew'elry,  or  fashion,  or  gor- 
geous dinner  party — but  Ethel  looked  as  pretty  in  her  calico 
dress  as  she  ever  did  when  famous  as  a drawing  room  belle  at  the 

parties  in Avenue — and  what  was  very  shocking,  Ethel 

allowed  two  large  burned  holes  to  remain  unmended  in  said  dress 
— one  on  the  sleeve  and  one  on  the  shoulder — asserting  that 
they  were  mementoes  of  the  great  fire,  and  that  she  would  not 
permit  them  to  be  mended  on  any  consideration. 


COMMENCEMENT  OP  THE  REBUILDING  OP  OHIOJiaCH 


THE  FIRE  MARSHAL’S  GRAPHIC 
STORY  OF  THE  GREAT  FIRE. 

STARTLING  INCIDENTS  FORCIBLY  DETAILED. 


A reporter  for  tlie  daily  press  called  upon  tlie  Fire  Marshal 
for  his  version  of  certain  matters  connected  with  the  fire,  and 
obtained,  in  a few  pointed  words,  the  best  history  of  some  of  the 
most  startling  events  yet  given  to  the  public.  We  are  indebted 
to  the  Chicago  Evening  Mail  for  the  following  graphic  “interview” 
which  will  be  found  intensly  interesting,  and  more  exciting  than 
any  other  account  occupying  double  the  amount  of  space  : 

Reporter. — Some  of  our  exchanges  have  hinted  that  members 
of  the  Fire  Department  were  drunk  during  the  fire,  and  I have 
called  on  you,  as  one  who  had  the  best  opportunity  of  knowing, 
to  have  the  facts  in  the  case. 

Marshal. — Well,  sir,  I don’t  know  how  it  was  elsewhere,  but  I 
did  not  see  a drunken  fireman  that  night. 

Reporter. — What  is  the  character  of  the  firemen  in  this  res- 
pect? 

Marshal. — They  are  a tolerable  steady  set  when  on  duty. 

Reporter. — Who  appoints  them? 

Marshal. — The  Board  of  Police.  I have  not  had  the  opportu- 
nity of  choosing  a single  one  of  my  men. 

Reporter. — What  may  have  given  rise  to  the  report  of  drunk- 
enness ? 

Marshal. — I don’t  know  exactly,  but  I did  see  a drunken  bum- 
mer with  a fireman’s  hat  on,  and  I took  it  away  from  him.  He 
begged  me  to  let  him  keep  it,  but  I refused  to.  I took  it  to  the 
engineer  of  No  6 and  told  him  to  take  care  of  it,  and  it  wasn’t 
long  before  I saw  another  fireman’s  hat  walking  off  with  a 
drunken  fellow  under  it,  and  I took  it  away  from  him  also.  It 
may  have  been  that  others  saw  these  two  thieves  and  swore  that 
the  firemen  were  drunk. 

Reporter. — Very  likely ; but  these  witnesses  say  they  saw  the 
firemen  working  at  the  engines,  and  that  they  were  staggering. 

Marshal. — But  bless  your  soul  (and  here  the  Marshal  got  in- 
teresting, not  to  say  excited,  and  raised  up  on  his  elbow  and 
threatened  the  reporter’s  nose  with  his  finger)  the  heat  was 
awful;  ’twas  like  hell,  and  the  firemen’s  eyes  were  red  with  the 
dust  and  fire,  so  that  many  of  them  were  most  blind.  The  hair 
was  scorched  off  their  faces,  and  they  stuck  to  their  machines 
like  bull  dogs,  and  worked  them  till  they  couldn’t  stand  it  any 


172 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


longer.  Yes,  sir,  and  they  did  stagger,  for  they  were  clean  beat, 
and  many  of  them,  had  to  go  home  for  the  exhaustion  from  the 
heat.  They  were  tired,  too,  from  the  fire  of  the  night  before, 
and  then  to  give  the  same  men  such  a long  pull  again,  why,  an 
iron  man  couldn’t  have  stood  it. 

Reporter. — I hear  the  firemen  were  demoralized. 

Marshal. — Well,  now,  it  is  pretty  hard  work  for  flesh  and 
nerves  to  gain  a victory,  and  then  have  to  go  to  work  again,  and 
again,  and  again,  and  fight  it  all  over.  But  that  is  just  what  the 
men  did.  And  after  they  heard  the  waterworks  were  burned 
down  they  didn’t  give  up ; and  they  never  quit  working  till  all 
the  water  in  the  reservoirs  and  mains  was  used  up.  I don’t 
think  that  was  being  demoralized ; not  much. 

Reporter. — How  was  it  that  they  got  the  victory  ? It  looks  to 
me  as  if  it  was  a defeat  worse  than  Waterloo. 

Marshal. — ’Twas  water  low,  that  was  what  hindered  us  from 
saving  a large  part  of  the  North  Division.  But  I tell  you  we 
got  the  fire  under ; and  if  it  hadn’t  been  for  that  awful  gale,  we 
would  have  been  all  right. 

When  I got  down  to  the  fire  Sunday  night,  I got  the  engines 
all  around  it,  and  had  hemmed  it  in  so  that  it  wouldn’t  have 
lived  very  much  longer,  when  one  of  the  men  came  and  said, 
there  is  a church  on  fire  north  of  us  ;and,  sure  enough, there  was 
a church  steeple  all  in  a blaze  two  squares  off,  so  I sent  down  an 
engine  and  pretty  soon  got  two  more  to  work  on  it,  and  had 
saved  the  long  line  Qf  cottages  just  east  of  it,  and  the  drug  store 
across  the  road,  and  though  the  heat  was  awful,  we  had  got  it 
right  under  our  thumb,  when  some  one  told  us  that  the  fire  had 
caught  still  farther  north.  So  • I went  down  and  there  was  the 
match  factory  just  blazing,  and  the  brick  factory  was  smoking, 
and  Bateliam’s  shingle  mills’  yard  was  covered  with  shavings 
and  cinders  and  flakes  and  flashing  boards,  just  raining  down 
on  it  so  that  it  was  on  fire  in  more  than  a dozen  places  at  once,  and 
just  beyond  was  the  hardwood  lumber  yard,  and  everything  dry 
as  a bone,  and  as  greedy  to  burn  as  gun-powder. 

I hadn’t  more  than  got  this  surrounded  when  the  Canal  street 
people  had  kindled  a new  fire  right  in  the  middle  of  the  street, 
though  they  didn’t  mean  to,  for  they  had  piled  up  beds  and  bed- 
ding and  furniture  in  the  street,  and  it  took  fire  and  then  it  went 
away  like  feathers,  for  the  wind  would  take  up  a blazing  mattrass 
and  fling  it  against  a house,  and  that  house  went  right  down 
before  you  could  get  there.  But  I was  just  thinking  that  we 
would  run  the  fire  into  the  burnt  district  and  stop  it  there,  when 
they  told  me  the  fire  was  on  the  South  Side.  So  I told  the 
Fred  Gund  to  get  out  of  that  right  away,  as  the  fire  was  coming 
awful  heavy  on  her,  and  went  across  to  Conley’s  Patch.  The  fire 
had  then  got  well  started,  in  two  small  buildings  south  of  the 
Armory,  and  it  just  tore  up  Wells  street,  under  those  houses  set 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  173 

on  posts,  and  sidewalks  raised  up  from  the  streets.  Then  I saw 
we  should  have  heavy  work  before  us. 

Vandercook  wanted  some  powder,  but  I told  him  we  had  none, 
and  he  went  off  to  get  some. 

I had  just  got  two  engines  to  work  when  Jack  said : “My 
God,  she’s  ahead  of  us.”  So  we  went  down,  and  you  remember 
that  carpenter  shop  behind  the  Oriental  building  and  them  low 
wooden  sheds?  Well,  sir,  they  were  blazing.  I ordered  up  the 
Chicago  and  broke  out  the  glass  in  the  lower  front  window  (that’s 
where  I got  my  hand  hurt,  you  see,)  and  took  the  hose  right 
through  the  basement,  but  the  flames  drove  us  out,  and  it  wasn’t 
long  before  the  Oriental  Hall  was  just  rolling  in  flames.  Why, 
if  that  building  had  iron  shutters  on  her  she  wouldn’t  have 
burned  ; but  the  wind  was  fearful  now.  I saw  a blazing  board 
go  right  through  the  back  window  of  a building  in  the  block 
facing  north  on  Washington,  and  pretty  soon  it  was  blazing 
fearful. 

BLOWING  UP. 

Vandercook  then  came  with  the  powder,  and  put  it  in  the  base- 
ment of  the  Union  Bank  building,  but  it  just  puffed  and  never 

i'arred  the  block  a bit,  and  before  they  could  get  ready  to  give 
ler  another  lift  they  could  not  live  inside  of  her.  You  see  I 
thought  we  could  save  Sheridan’s  headquarters  if  we  could  only 
blow  down  the  block  across  the  street,  but  it  was  too  late.  Just 
then  the  Court  House  took  fire,  and  I sent  an  engine  to  the  Sher- 
man House,  hoping  to  save  that,  for  I thought  that  the  tower  of  the 
Court  House  would  fall  inside,  and  with  the  wide  open  space  wo 
should  have  some  chance  left  yet.  But  the  wind  was  just  tremen- 
dous. I saw  it  blow  a man  against  the  lamp-post  at  the  Pittsburgh 
and  Fort  Wayne  ticket  office,  across  the  street  from  the  Sherman 
House,  and  the  post  and  the  man  came  down  together.  A.  H. 
Miller’s  store  caught  fire  in  six  places  from  the  awnings  rolled 
up,  and  they  served  as  pockets  for  the  fire  to  lodge  in.  Then  the 
old  Tribune  building  got  on  fire,  but  I hoped  yet  to  save  the  Sher- 
man, when  I found  that  those  old  wooden  buildings  on  the  south 
side  of  Lake  street,  and  the  sheds  just  south  of  them  were  just 
roaring  with  flame.  Why  the  fire  just  roared  like  a lion,  and 
I saw  the  Sherman  House  was  gone  up.  Then  I thought  of 
my  family  in  Thompson  & Templeton’s  block,  and  I found  that 
my  wife  had  got  all  ready  to  go ; but  before  we  could  get  out 
anything  but  the  piano  and  one  chair,  the  house  was  too  hot  to 
hold  us. 

Just  then  some  one  said  the  Water  Works  were  on  fire.  B. 
B.  Crane  said  he  didn’t  believe  it.  So  he  drove  up  with  a horse 
and  buggy,  and  he  says  before  he  got  there  the  flames  were  com- 
ing out  of  all  the  windows.  It  caught  from  some  cinders  from 
the  Court  House  or  the  Board  of  Trade.  (They  say  cinders 


174 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


were  on  the  crib,  but  I don’t  believe  that,  interrupted  the  repor- 
ter). Yes,  sir,  they  were,  and  if  you  go  out  there  you  will  see 
the  marks  on  the  roof,  and  it  was  life  or  death  with  the  keeper 
and  his  wife,  and  they  pumped  water  and  put  out  the  sparks,  or 
the  crib  and  they  too  would  have  gone,  and  perhaps  you  won’t 
believe  it,  but  a man  was  plowing  up  at  Evanston,  and  that’s  10 
or  12  miles,  and  he  saw  sparks  falling  all  around  him ; oh,  you 
have  no  idea  how  the  wind  blew  that  night,  and  then  there  was 
something,  I think,  I don’t  know,  I shouldn’t  like  exactly  to  say 
it,  but  there  must  have  been  fire  below  ground  as  well  as  in  the 
wind  overhead.  Two  strangers  came  to  me  the  next  day  and 
said  they  were  strangers  from  the  East  stopping  at  the  Sherman 
House,  and  when  they  saw  that  was  going  they  went  to  the  next 
street,  and  while  standing  there  they  saw  a blue  flame  coming 
up  through  the  iron  gratings  at  the  corner,  and  on  looking  in  saw 
the  whole  basement  on  fire,  and  not  a spark  in  the  rest  of  the 
building.  You  saw  at  the  corner  of  Wells  and  Randolph  the 
road  hove  up  ; well,  I followed  that  down  to  the  gas-works,  and 
it  was  raised  up  in  half  a dozen  places ; that  was  where  the 
gas  took  fire  and  burst  in  the  sewers.  When  the  gas-works 
took  fire,  they  let  off  the  gas  into  the  sewers,  and  the  enormous 
gasometer  fell  down  to  the  ground ; and  I think  perhaps  the 
buildings  were  filled  with  gas  from  the  sewers  and  private  drains, 
and  took  fire  inside  as  well  as  from  the  roof  overhead.  People 
seemed  stupified  and  crazed,  and  instead  of  putting  out  the  sparks 
on  their  roofs,  just  let  them  burn,  and  the  wind  would  take  up 
pieces  of  blazing  felt  as  big  as  half  a sheet,  and  carry  it  up  to  a 
wooden  cornice,  and  then  that  building  was  gone.  And  I didn’t 
know  but  Allen  was  helping  us  on  the  West  Side,  when  he  and 
ten  or  twelve  more  were  cut  off,  and  they  made  up  their  mind 
they  would  have  to  swim  for  fife.  Allen  had  just  stripped  to  his 
shirt  and  drawers  when  a tug  and  two  vessels  came  along  and 
took  them  aboard ; and  while  they  held  up  long  enough  for 
that  the  masts  and  rigging  of  the  boats  took  fire.  The  tug  cast 
them  off  below  Yan  Buren  street  bridge  and  put  Allen  and  his 
crowd  ashore.  Here  Allen  saw  a fire  on  Quincy  street,  and 
says  that  if  the  houses  had  been  covered  with  kerosene  they 
could  not  have  burned  so  fast  while  he  was  going  only  two 
squares.  So,  with  everything  making  against  us,  no  wonder  we 
couldn’t  get  ahead. 

Reporter. — But  had  you  engines  enough  ? 

Marshall. — All  the  engines  ever  made  couldn’t  stop  her  at  the 
Oriental  Building.  She  kept  a jumping  over  our  heads  all  the 
time  so  we  couldn’t  get  ahead.  We  had  only  fifteen  engines 
in  all.  Two  were  at  the  repair  shop,  and  only  one  engine  was 
burned,  for  we  saved  all  of  the  engines  that  were  being  repaired. 

Boston  has  21  engines,  but  she  hasn’t  half  the  territory  ; and 
look  at  her  buildings.  New  York  has  twice  as  many  as  we,  com- 


OPENING  BANE  VAULTS,  CORNER  LAKE  AND  DEARBORN  STREETS. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


179 


pared  with  her  size.  I wanted  the  Board  to  let  me  have  six 
floating  engines  last  year,  but  they  wouldn’t,  and  if  we’d  had  them 
the  night  of  the  fire  we  could  have  saved  the  elevators,  for  the 
fire  crowded  us  so  that  we  couldn’t  work  but  a mighty  little  while 
till  we  had  to  move.  One  of  our  engines  didn’t  have  time  to 
unscrew  her  coupling,  so  they  took  an  axe  and  broke  down  the 
hydrant  and  took  it  along  with  them,  and  even  then  the  hair  was 
singed  off  the  horses. 

This  account  reads  like  the  veriest  romance,  and  yet  there  is 
no  question  of  its  correctness,  for  the  Marshal  is  not  only  a man  of 
known  integrity,  but  his  account  is  authenticated  from  the  mouths 
of  scores  of  witnesses,  equally  reliable  and  wholly  disinterested. 


How  Valuable  Records  Were  Saved. 

Scarcely  less  exciting  than  the  foregoing,  is  the  account  given 
by  Mr.  John  G.  Shortall,  of  the  manner  in  which  he  saved  his 
numerous  abstracts  and  indices  of  real  estate  transactions, 
which,  as  the  records  of  Cook  County  were  destroyed,  are  in- 
valuable as  evidences  of  title  to  Chicago  property.  Mr.  S.  had 
returned  from  church  to  his  residence,  in  the  Southern  part  of 
the  city,  but,  from  some  unaccountable  impulse,  went  down  to 
the  fire  and  watched  it  from  10  to  12  o’clock,  when  he  began  to 
fear  that  his  office,  in  Larmon  block,  might  be  in  danger.  From 
this  point  we  give  the  account  in  his  words : 

” On  reaching  the  office,  I found  great  danger  existing  from  the 
awnings,  which  were  outside  the  building,  the  embers  dropping 
down  very  thickly  on  the  roofs  of  the  buildings,  and  on  the 
front,  and  signs,  and  awnings.  I ran  up  stairs,  got  into  the 
office  and  tried  to  cut  away  the  awnings  in  front  of  our  building, 
and  that  of  the  building  adjoining ; but,  owing  to  the  absence  of 
anything  adequate,  I had  to  give  that  up,  and  simply  press  them 
up  close  to  the  wall,  that  the  embers  might  drop  off  them,  and 
not  be  caught  in  them.  Even  then  I scarcely  believed  it  possi- 
ble that  the  Larmon  Block  could  take  fire,  and  I requested  the 
men  in  the  upper  portion  of  the  building,  with  buckets  of  water, 
to  put  out  any  embers  that  might  fall  there  and  endanger  the 
building.  In  another  half  hour  I felt  more  apprehensive,  and 
went  in  the  street  to  find  an  express  wagon.  This  must  have 
been  an  hour  and  a half  before  the  building  actually  burned.  I 
stopped,  probably  fifteen  different  trucks  and  express  wagons, 
offering  them  any  pay  to  work  for  me  in  saving  the  books.  Seven 
of  them  at  least,  I engaged,  one  after  another,  they  faithfully 
promising  me  that  they  would  come  back  when  they  had  carried 


180 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


the  load  and  done  the  work  in  which  they  were  engaged,  but 
no  one  came  back.  At  this  juncture  I met  my  friend  Mr.  Nye, 
who  was  looking  out,  as  I was,  for  the  danger.  I told  him  that 
I needed  him,  and  he  answered  me  promptly  that  he  was  at  my 
service.  We  both  watched  some  time  longer  for  express 
wagons,  but  could  find  none..  At  last,  when  the  Court  House 
cupola  took  fire,  I told  my  friend  that  we  must  have  an  express 
wagon  within  the  next  five  minutes  or  we  were  utterly  lost.  He 
stood  on  Clark  street  and  I on  Washington  street,  determined  to 
take  the  first  expressman  we  could  find.  The  first  one  happened 
to  come  along  on  his  side.  He  seized  the  reins  with  one  hand, 
and,  taking  a revolver  from  his  pocket  with  the  other,  “ per- 
suaded ” the  expressman  to  haul  up  to  the  sidewalk,  notwith- 
standing his  cursing  and  swearing.  When  I came  back  from  my 
unsuccessful  watch  I found  the  expressman  there,  and  my  friend, 
handing  the  lines  and  revolver  to  me,  went  up  stairs  to  help  our 
employes,  who  were  then  in  the  office,  to  carry  down  the  volumes. 
We  got  round  with  the  wagon  to  Washington  street  entrance, 
and,  after  filling  the  wagon,  found  that  we  had  but  about  one 
quarter  of  our  property  in  it. 

Just  at  that  critical  moment  a two-horse  truck  was  driven  up 
to  where  I was  superintending  the  packing  of  the  books,  and 
my  friend,  Joe  Stockton,  whose  face  w^as  so  covered  with  smut 
and  dust  that  I did  not  recognize  him  until  he  spoke,  turned 
over  the  truck  and  driver  to  me,  with  the  remark,  “ I think,  John, 
this  is  just  the  thing  you  want.”  I never  felt  so  relieved  or  so 
thankful  as  I did  at  his  appearance  with  that  substantial  aid  at 
that  moment.  We  unpacked  our  impressed  expressman  imme- 
diately and  set  him  adrift  with  $5  in  his  pocket  for  his  five  min- 
utes’ work,  and  commenced  to  pile  our  property  on  friend  Stock- 
ton’s truck.  Meanwhile  the  flames  were  roaring  and  surging 
around  us.  Six  of  our  boys  were  carrying  down  the  volumes  as 
rapidly  as  they  could,  and  I,  standing  on  truck,  was  stowing 
away  the  books  economically  as  to  space.  About  that  time  they 
told  me  the  Court  House  bell  fell  down.  I lost  all  idea  of  time. 
It  must  have  been  about  2 o’clock.  I never  heard  the  bell  fall, 
I was  so  excited.  Toward  the  last,  when  we  had  got  our  indi- 
ces all  down  safely,  and  were  trying  to  save  other  valuable  pa- 
pers and  books,  many  of  which  we  did  save,  it  was  stated  that 
Smith  & Nixon’s  building  was  about  to  be  blown  up.  Our  truck 
was  headed  toward  that  building.  The  sky  was  filled  with  burn- 
ing embers  which  were  falling  around  us  thickly.  As  soon,  I 
think,  as  the  information  was  given  that  that  building  was  to  be 
blown  up,  the  crowd  rushed  past  us  down  Washington  street, 
towrard  the  lake,  terribly  excited,  shouting  and  warning  every- 
body away.  My  driver  was  very  nervous,  and  on  one  pretext  or 
another  would  start  his  horses  up  for  a rod  or  two,  swearing 
that  he  would  not  be  blown  up  for  us  or  for  the  whole  country ; 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


181 


but  I succeeded  in  stopping  him  eight  or  ten  times  during  the 
excitement.  In  the  meantime  our  men  were  coming  down  the 
stairs  laden  with  our  property  and  returning  as  rapidly  as  they 
could.  I was  standing  on  the  books,  packing  them  in  the  truck, 
and  the  embers  were  flying  on  them,  and  I picked  them  ofl‘  as 
they  fell  and  threw  them  into  the  street,  until,  a rod  at  a time, 
■we  reached  the  corner  of  Dearborn  and  Washington.  Messrs. 
Fuller  and  Handy  were  the  last  to  leave  the  office,  and  they  did 
not  leave  until  Buck  & Bayner’s  drug  store  was  on  fire.  The 
store,  as  we  believed,  was  full  of  chemicals  and  explosive  matter. 
At  that  time  the  Court  House  was  a mass  of  flames,  and  our 
own  building  was  burning,  and  other  buildings  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  entirely  destroyed.  Three  of  us  then  started  with  the 
truck  for  my  house,  which  we  reached  about  3 o’clock  that  morn- 
ing. I had  our  property  unloaded  and  placed  securely  within ; 
and,  after  giving  the  driver  and  others  some  refreshments,  I 
started  again  for  the  fire  to  see  what  aid  I could  give  other  suf- 
ferers. 

WHAT  A WOMAN  RELATES — THE  EXPERIENCE  OF  A REAL  SUFFERER. 

“ We  had  a nice  little  cottage  on  the  north  side,  near  Indiana 
Street  Bridge,  with  a little  yard  in  front,  where  I had  planted  the 
rose  tree  mother  gave  me  from  our  dear  old  home.  Mother  is 
dead  now,  and  the  homestead  sold.  We  had  plants  in  the 
window  that  grew  well  from  the  loving  care  bestowed  on  them. 
Geraniums  and  heliotropes,  and  even  the  orange  tree  that 
furnished  flowers  for  my  hair  on  my  wedding  night,  while  the 
honeysuckle  over  the  door  came  from  a far-away  sister’s  grave 
at  the  East. 

The  mementoes  on  the  mantel,  the  pictures  of  those  gone 
before,  the  playthings  of  some  little  ones  that  are  lying  still  and 
peaceful  in  Bose  Hill,  the  golden  locks  cut  from  their  curly 
heads,  and  the  little  clothing  they  wore — where  is  it  all  ? What 
a horrible  dream!  We  didn’t  save  anything,  because  my 
husband  said  the  fire  wouldn’t  come  so  far,  so  we  waited  and  I 
packed  my  trunk  with  all  my  nice  things,  and  in  a moment, 
before  we  could  think,  the  distillery  and  coalyards  and  lumber 
were  all  on  fire,  and  our  house  was  in  a great  cloud  of  flame. 

I took  my  boy  and  ran  across  the  bridge.  My  husband 
dragged  the  trunk  to  the  bridge,  but  left  it  a minute  to  help 
me  over  the  river,  and  went  back,  and  an  engine  had  struck  the 
trunk,  burst  it  open,  and  not  one  single  thing  was  left  in  it.  Then 
my  husband  came  and  told  me,  and  I didn’t  care  whether  I died 
or  not.  I wished  I could  die.  And  I looked  across  the  river 
and  saw  all  my  things  burning  up  in  the  house,  and  I just  laid 
down  under  the  sidewalk  and  tried  to  go  to  sleep.  We  slept 
under  there  all  Monday  night,  and  we  had  not  a mouthful  all 
that  day.  The  rain  came  in  the  night,  and  I was  soaked  to  tfie 


182  THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 

skin.  Toward  morning  I took  a chill.  Then  I hoped  I should 
die  for  certain.  I kept  getting  chilly,  and  I knew  I was  going 
away  from  all  I loved  here. 

Some  one  came  along  Tuesday  and  said  we  should  get  into  a 
church.  Somebody  carried  me  there,  and  gave  me  dry  clothes 
and  a room  by  myself  and  something  to  eat,  and  then  I was  afraid 
I should  not  die.  Then  I went  to  some  hospital,  for  I was  about 
to  be  confined,  and  the  smell,  the  crowd,  the  sickness  and  deaths 
made  me  sick,  and  my  husband  brought  me  here.  For  weeks  I 
stayed  here  with  neither  a door  or  window,  and  all  the  carpenters 
pounding  till  I thought  my  head  would  burst.  Just  a week  ago 
to-day  I had  this  little  baby.  Some  ladies  gave  me  some  clothes 
for  it.  More  than  twenty  of  them  have  come  here  with  pencil 
and  paper  and  asked  me  what  I needed  and  that  was  the  last  I 
have  ever  seen  of  them. 

I have  never  asked  for  anything,  but  I must  have  blankets,  and 
my  husband  Tvants  shoes  and  drawers.  He  can  get  no  work  at 
his  trade.  He  says  he  would  walk  two  miles  and  back  every  day 
to  get  at  his  old  work.'’ 

And  this  is  her  simple,  truthful,  terrible  story  I 

A TOUCHING  HOME  PICTURE. 

Here  is  a picture  from  the  story  of  a lady  whose  home  was 
burned : 

“There  came  a strange  sound  in  the  air  which  stilled,  or 
seemed  to  still,  for  a moment,  the  surging  crowd.  ‘ Was  it  thun- 
der?’ we  asked.  No,  the  sky  was  clear  and  full  of  stars,  and  we 
shuddered  as  we  felt,  but  did  not  say,  that  it  was  a tremendous 
explosion  of  gunpowder.  By  this  time  the  blazing  sparks  and 
bits  of  burning  wood,  which  we  had  been  fearfully  watching, 
were  fast  becoming  an  unintermitting  fire  of  burning  hail,  and 
another  shower  of  blows  on  the  doors  warned  us  that  there  was 

not  a moment  to  be  lost.  Call  E * (the  invalid ; ) do  not  let 

him  stay  a minute,  and  I will  try  to  save  our  poor  little  birds  V 
My  sister  flew  to  wake  up  our  precious  charge,  and  I ran  down 
stairs,  repeating  to  myself  to  make  me  remember,  ‘ Birds,  deeds, 
silver,  jewelry,  silk-dresses,’  as  the  order  in  which  we  would  try 
to  save  our  property,  if  it  came  to  the  worst.  As  I passed 
through  our  pretty  parlors  how  my  heart  ached.  Here  the  rem- 
nant of  my  father’s  library,  a copy  of  a Bible  printed  in  1637, 
on  the  table ; on  another,  my  dear  Mrs.  Browning,  in  five  vol- 
umes, the  gift  of  a lost  friend.  What  should  I take  ? What 
should  I leave?  I alternately  loaded  myself  with  gift  after  gift, 
and  dashed  them  down  in  despair.  Lovely  pictures  and  statu- 
ettes, left  by  a kind  friend  for  the  embellishment  of  our  little 
rooms,  and  which  had  turned  them  into  a bower  of  beauty — must 
they  be  left  ? At  last  I stopped  before  our  darling,  a sweet  and 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


183 


tender  picture  of  Beatrice  Cenci  going  to  the  execution,  which 
looked  down  at  me,  through  the  dismal  red  glare  which  was 
already  filling  the  rooms,  with  a saintly  and  weird  sweetness 
that  seemed  to  have  something  wistful  in  it.  I thought,  ‘ I will 
save  this  if  I die  for  it but  my  poor  parrot  called  my  name 
and  asked  for  a peanut,  and  I could  no  more  have  left  him  than 
if  he  had  been  a baby.  But  could  I carry  that  huge  cage  ? No, 
indeed ; so  I reluctantly  took  my  little  canary,  who  was  painfully 
fluttering  about  and  wondering  at  the  disturbance,  and,  kissing 
him,  opened  the  front  door  and  set  him  free — only  to  smother, 
I fear.  But  it  was  the  best  I could  do  for  him  if  I wished  to 
save  my  parrot,  who  had  a prior  right  to  be  considered  one  of 
the  family,  if  sixteen  years  of  incessant  chatter  may  be  supposed 
to  establish  such  right. 

Incidents  are  practically  exhaustless,  and  altogether  beyond 
computation.  Thousands  upon  thousands  of  cases,  even  out- 
side of  the  losses  of  life,  are  utterly  irretrievable,  tidious,  pitiful 
and  heart-rendering.  As  it  is  impossible  to  treat  of  them  in 
detail,  they  are  summed  up  in  a comprehensive  recapitulation  in 
the  proper  place. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  FIRE. 

The  committee  appointed  to  investigate  the  origin,  progress 
and  devastation  of  the  fire,  have  made  their  report.  We  take 
from  it  the  following  interesting  items : 

The  board  find  that  the  fire  originated  in  a two  story  barn  in 
rear  of  No.  137  DeKoven  street,  the  premises  being  owned  by 
Patrick  Leary.  The  fire  was  first  discovered  by  a drayman  by 
the  name  of  Daniel  Sullivan,  who  saw  it  while  sitting  on  the  side- 
walk on  the  south  side  of  DeKoven  street,  and  nearly  opposite 
Leary’s  premises.  He  fixes  the  time  at  not  more  than  twenty- 
five  minutes  past  9 o’clock,  when  he  first  noticed  the  flames  com- 
ing out  of  the  barn.  There  is  no  proof  that  any  persons  had 
been  in  the  barn  after  nightfall  that  evening.  Whether  it  origi- 
nated from  a spark  blown  from  a chimney  on  that  windy  night, 
or  was  set  on  fire  by  human  agency,  we  are  unable  to  determine. 
Mr.  Leary,  the  owner,  and  all  his  family  prove  to  have  been  in 
bed  and  asleep  at  the  time.  There  was  a small  party  in  the 
front  part  of  Leary’s  house,  which  was  occupied  by  Mr.  McLaugh- 
lin and  wife.  But  we  failed  to  find  any  evidence  that  anybody 
from  McLaughlin’s  part  of  the  house  went  near  the  barn  that 
night. 

If  any  person  set  the  fire,  either  by  accident  or  design,  he  was 
careful  not  to  give  any  alarm.  The  nearest  engine-house  was  six 


184 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


blocks  from  the  fire  ; the  next  nearest  one  was  nine  blocks  away. 
The  nearest  hose  house  was  located  eleven  blocks  from  the  fire, 
and  at  this  hose  house  the  watchman  had  seen  the  fire  before 
the  alarm  was  given  from  the  Court-House,  and  the  company 
were  on  their  way  to  the  fire  before  the  alarm  was  struck. 

In  consequence  of  this  early  sighting  of  the  fire,  the  hose  com- 
pany (the  America)  went  eleven  blocks  and  attached  their  hose 
to  the  fire-plug  and  got  water  on  the  fire  before  any  engine  did, 
although  two  engines  were  located  considerably  nearer  the  fire. 
It  would  require  five  minutes  for  the  nearest  engine  to  go  to  the 
fire,  a distance  of  six  blocks.  From  three  to  five  minutes  more 
would  be  required  in  which  to  unreel  and  lay  out  the  hose,  make 
connection  with  the  plug,  and  go  to  work.  Intelligent  citizens 
who  lived  near  the  place  of  the  fire  testify  that  it  was  from  ten 
to  fifteen  minutes  from  the  time  they  first  saw  the  fire  before  any 
engines  came  upon  the  ground.  It  is  proved  that  the  engines  re- 
paired to  the  fire,  after  getting  the  alarm,  with  the  usual  celerity. 
When  they  arrived  there  from  three  to  five  buildings  were  fierce- 
ly burning.  The  fire  must  then  have  been  burning  from  ten  to 
fifteen  minutes,  and,  with  the  wind  then  blowing  strongly  from 
the  southwest,  and  carrying  the  fire  from  building  to  building  in 
a neighborhood  composed  wholly  of  dry  wooden  buildings,  with 
wood  shavings  piled  in  every  barn  and  under  every  house,  the 
fire  had  got  under  too  great  headway  for  the  engines  called  out 
by  the  first  alarm  to  be  able  to  subdue  it. 

Blowing  up  buildings  in  the  face  of  the  wind  was  tried,  but 
without  any  benefit.  The  Court  House  and  the  Water  Works, 
though  a mile  apart,  were  burning  at  the  same  time.  Gunpow- 
der was  used  in  blowing  up  buildings  with  good  effect,  the  next 
day,  in  cutting  off  the  fire  at  the  extreme  south  end  of  it,  and 
preventing  it  backing  any  further. 

We  believe  that,  had  the  buildings  on  the  West  Side,  where 
the  fire  commenced,  been  built  of  brick  or  stone,  with  safe  roof- 
ing (the  buildings  need  not  have  been  fire-proof),  the  fire  could 
have  been  stopped  without  doing  great  damage,  and  certainly 
would  not  have  crossed  the  river.  After  it  did  cross  the  wood- 
en cornices,  wooden  signs  of  large  size,  the  cupolas,  and  the  tar 
and  felt  roofs,  which  were  on  most  of  the  best  buildings,  caused 
their  speedy  destruction,  and  aided  greatly  in  spreading  the  con- 
flagration. The  single  set  of  pumping  works,  upon  which  the 
salvation  of  the  city  depended,  were  roofed  with  wood,  had  no 
appliance  by  which  water  could  be  raised  to  the  roof  in  case  of 
fire,  and  was  one  of  the  earliest  buildings  to  burn  in  the  North 
Division. 

ANOTHER  THEORY 

Concerning  the  origin  of  the  fire,  is  constructed  out  of  the 
fact,  that  in  March  1871,  three  enterprising  men  visited  Chicago 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


185 


for  tlie  express  purpose  of  laying  before  the  city  authorities  a 
plan  for  extinguishing  fires  by  means  of  carbonic  acid  gas.  This 
gas  was  to  be  generated  and  saved  from  the  same  coal  that  made 
the  illuminating  gas.  The  pipes  were  to  be  laid  side  by  side 
with  the  others,  and  the  whole  theory  of  the  plan  was,  that  when 
a building  took  fire,  the  people  were  to  rush  out,  the  doors  to  be 
closed,  the  carbonic  acid  gas  to  be  turned  on,  which  would  at 
once  extinguish  the  fire,  without  any  injury  or  damage  to  house 
or  furniture  by  water,  which  often  does  more  damage  than  the 
fire  itself. 

These  men  received  some  encouragement  that  their  plan  would 
be  favorably  received  and  accepted  by  the  city.  Expensive 
works  were  accordingly  constructed,  and  time  and  money  freely 
lavished  while  all  through  the  summer  months  the  men  waited, 
hoping  soon  to  realize  immense  wealth  from  their  grand  pro- 
ject. Late  in  September  they  learned  that  as  a final  decision 
the  city  declined  to  have  any  thing  to  do  with  the  new  extinguisher, 
refusing  even  to  try  experiments  or  allow  them  to  be  tried. 

On  Saturday  October  7th  those  three  men  passed  through 
New  York  on  their  way  home — and  in  a few  moments  conversa- 
tion with  a friend  at  the  depot,  one  of  them  remarked,  in  a ton© 
half  dogged,  half  reckless,  “ we  have  tried  our  best  to  do  some- 
thing for  Chicago,  she  has  kicked  us  out,  and  now  she  may  bear 
the  consequences.’* 

“ Where’s  Harriet  and  the  children  ?”  asked  the  friend. 

“ I brought  them  out  to  L — ” (about  twenty  miles  from  the 
city)  and  they  will  remain  there  until  I go  or  send  for  them.” 

A bell  rang,  the  train  started,  and  three  hard,  desperate  cases 
were  lost  sight  of  in  the  crowded  car. 

The  next  morning  the  whole  country  thrilled  with  the  news  of 
the  Great  Conflagration,  and  two  days  later  Chicago  had  passsd 
through  the  fiery  furnace. 

STILL  ANOTHER  THEORY. 

t 

There  is  another  theory  regarding  the  origin  of  the  fire,  to 
which  many  persons  attach  importance,  and  it  is  therefore  wor- 
thy of  record.  It  is  the  startling  theory  that  a secret  organiza- 
tion conceived  and  matured  the  diabolical  plot  for  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  city,  and  sent  their  agents  here  to  execute  it.  We 
therefore  transcribe  to  these  pages  what  purports  to  be  the  con- 


186 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


fession  of  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  this  fiendish  work.  We 
give  it  without  the  expression  of  any  opinion  as  to  its  authenticity. 
Though  it  appears  at  the  first  thought  to  be  utterly  romantic 
and  improbable,  there  are  not  wanting  confirmatory  circum- 
stances. For  example,  the  original  explanation  of  the  origin  of 
the  fire  has  been  denied  by  two  persons  on  oath,  which  is  suffi- 
cient to  disprove  the  statement  in  a court  of  justice.  There  is 
abundant  evidence  going  to  show  that  the  fire  was  set  in  more 
than  one  place.  A well  known  lady  who  resides  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  Franklin  school,  on  Division  street,  states  positively  that 
while  the  fire  was  progressing  north  in  the  North  division  from 
the  river,  she  saw  a man  walk  up  to  the  side  of  the  primary 
school,  a frame  building  in  the  rear  of  the  Franklin  school,  turn 
out  a lot  of  shavings  from  a bag,  and  immediately  after  saw  the 
shavings  flaming  up.  With  these  observations,  the  alleged  con- 
fession is  given  in  the  precise  language  that  it  was  received,  as 
follows : 

CONFESSION  OF  A MEMBER  OF  A SECRET  ORGANIZATION. 

The  headquarters  of  the  organization  is  in  Paris,  and  its  ram- 
ifications extend  all  over  the  world.  There  are  branches  in  Lon- 
don, Edinburgh,  Manchester,  Liverpool,  Dublin,  Berlin,  St. 
Petersburg,  Naples,  Florence,  Vienna,  and  other  cities  in  Great 
Britain  and  on  the  continent,  and  in  New  York,  Boston,  Wash- 
ington, New  Orleans,  Baltimore,  and  Chicago,  in  this  country. 
Its  members  are  bound  by  a fearful  oath  never  to  divulge  any  of 
the  plans  of  operations  of  the  society,  and  were  it  known  that  I 
was  about  to  relate  the  story  I have  commenced  I should  never 
live  to  finish  it,  while  if  the  author  of  this  ever  becomes  known 
I will  die  a death  more  horrible  than  that  which  met  any  of  the 
victims  of  the  inquisition.  It  is,  therefore,  with  fear  and  trem- 
bling that  I sit  down  to  write  the  true  story  of  the  origin  of  the 
Chicago  fire,  and  nothing  but  the  sternest  sense  of  duty,  and  a 
desire  to  clear  my  conscience,  of  a load  that  is  too  heavy  for 
endurance,  would  induce  me  to  pen  these  lines. 

I fancy  the  sneer  of  incredulity  with  which  some  will  greet  my 
announcement  that  the  destruction  of  Chicago  was  accomplished 
by  this  organization,  but,  when  I have  unfolded  the  details  of  the 
plot  and  the  motives  that  prompted  its  conception,  incredulity 
will  give  place  to  astonishment  that  human  beings  could  be  found 
who  were  so  blinded  by  fanaticism  as  to  become  parties  to  so 
great  and  overwhelming  a crime.  The  events  of  the  past  two 
weeks  have  awakened  me  from  a dream  so  wild  and  improbable 
that  were  it  not  for  the  dreary  evidences  of  its  reality  that  I see 
about  me,  I could  scarce  believe,  and  still  more  reluctantly  can 


SWIFT  JUSTICE.  FATE  OF  THIEVES  AND  INCENDIARIES. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


189 


I believe,  that  in  the  terrible  tragedy  that  has  been  enacted  I 
was  one  of  the  principal  actors  ; that,  though  blinded  by  a fanat- 
icism more  fearful  than  the  worst  form  of  lunacy,  I permitted 
myself  to  become  the  cause  of  so  much  misery  and  woe. 

To  begin  at  the  beginning,  I must  revert  to  its  extent — its  ob- 
jects and  its  plans. 

The  society  was  organized  during  the  troubulous  times  that 
preceded  the  election  of  Louis  Napoleon  to  the  Presidency  of 
France.  A commune,  in  which  all  should  have  equal  rights  and 
privileges  ; in  which  the  poor  should  be  equal  with  the  rich  and 
the  rich  equal  with  the  poor,  was  much  talked  of  at  that  time, 
and  this  organization  was  formed  with  that  object  in  view.  The 
election  of  Napoleon  to  the  Presidency,. and  his  subsequent  coup 
d’  etat  by  which  he  seated  himself  upon  the  throne,  for  a time 
defeated  the  plans  of  the  socialists.  Notwithstanding  the  fact, 
however,  the  organization  was  not  abandoned,  but  was  rather 
more  closely  cemented  and  more  widely  diffused.  The  evils  of 
the  reign  of  the  third  Napoleon  seemed  to  add  fuel  to  the  fire 
that  was  smouldering  in  France,  and  the  society  drew  into  its 
ranks  all  the  elements  of  discontent  throughout  the  empire.  The 
result  of  the  late  war  between  France  and  Germany  was  to  in- 
corporate a more  dangerous  element  into  the  society,  and  it  was 
determined  to  seize  upon  the  opportunity  offered  by  the  with- 
drawal of  the  Prussians  from  Paris  for  putting  the  principles  of 
the  society  into  execution. 

Emissaries  were  dispatched  to  all  the  commercial  capitals  of 
the  world,  and,  together  with  those  who  had  fled  from  the  Ver- 
sailles government,  formed  branches  in  all  the  leading  cities,  not 
only  in  Europe,  but  in  America.  There  was  not  lacking  those 
who  were  so  deeply  imbued  with  an  insane  desire  for  the  tri- 
umph of  communistic  principles  that  they  were  willing  to  under- 
take any  desperate  plan  that  gave  promise  of  success,  even 
though  attended  with  infinite  misery  and  suffering. 

The  long  existing  conflict  between  capital  and  labor  had  pre- 
pared thousands  of  persons  in  every  large  city,  and  especially 
in  manufacturing  districts,  for  any  desperate  work  that  would 
avenge  the  real  or  fancied  wrongs  they  had  received  at  the 
hands  of  the  monied  aristocracy.  In  this  field  the  emissaries 
labored  with  a zeal  that  would  have  done  credit  to  a better 
cause.  The  utmost  care  was  exercised  to  prevent  any  disclosure 
of  the  plans  of  the  organization. 

While  in  Paris  I became  a member  of  this  organization,  and 
it  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  that  on  it§  first  organization  in 
Chicago,  some  eight  months  ago,  I was  selected  as  one  of  the 
prime  movers.  Since  I had  returned  from  France  I had  been  in 
correspondence  with  some  of  those  prominent  in  the  movement 
there,  among  whom  were  M.  Henri  Martin,  who  was  among  the 
first  to  fall  a victim  to  the  Versailles  troops  at  the  capture  of 


190 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


the  city  ; M.  Assi,  whose  tragic  fate  is  so  fresh  in  the  minds  of 
all,  and  M.  Julius  Garadine,  from  whom  I learned  the  progress 
the  society  was  making,  and  many  of  its  future  plans. 

The  organization  in  Chicago  was  formed  under  the  direction 
of  twro  members  who  had  fled  from  Paris,  and  myself.  As  else- 
where, none  but  the  most  daring  and  trustworthy  were  admit- 
ted. The  avowed  purposes  of  the  society  were  harmless  in  them- 
selves. They  were  to  endeavor  to  elevate  the  workingmen  to  the 
level  of  the  rich ; that  everybody  should  enjoy  equal  benefits,  and 
poverty  and  want  should  be  unknown.  To  these  declarations 
there  was  a codicil  binding  the  members,  if  it  were  found  impos- 
sible to  secure  the  results  by  peaceable  means  to  resort  to  what- 
ever measure  should  be  deemed  advisable  by  the  directors  of 
the  organization. 

The  first  two  months  of  the  existence  of  the  society  were  con- 
sumed in  fruitless  attempts  to  stir  up  strife  between  the  mechan- 
ics of  the  city  and  their  employers.  But  the  disastrous  conse- 
quences of  the  eight-hour  strikes  in  1867  were  yet  fresh  in  re- 
membrance, and  for  once  the  labor  unions  refused  to  do  the  bid- 
ding of  their  prompters.  This  was  a discouraging  blow,  but  the 
members  of  the  society  wrere  determined  ; for  colossal  fortunes 
were  being  amassed  in  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  and  an 
aristocracy  of  wealth  was  springing  up  that  threatened  to  be- 
come so  strong  as  to  defy  overthrow.  Plan  after  plan  was  sug- 
gested, and  abandoned  as  impracticable.  Finally,  the 

BURNING  OF  THE  BUSINESS  PORTION  OF  THE  CITY 

was  suggested.  Appalled  by  the  thought  of  working  such  des- 
olation in  the  fairest  city  on  the  continent,  I at  first  shrank  from 
participation  in  the  transaction.  I protested  that  instead  of 
promoting  the  objects  of  the  society  it  would  only  retard  them. 
But  all  the  others  were  firm,  and,  weakly,  I yielded.  Gradually 
the  insanity  produced  by  being  a promoter  of  a calamity  that 
would  shake  the  world  to  its  centre,  took  possession  of  me. 
Sleeping  or  waking,  my  thoughts  were  filled  with  the  plan. 

To  mature  the  details  of  the  plot  required  the  utmost  caution. 
The  project  of  raising  a mob  by  means  of  some  popular  excite- 
ment and  to  burn  and  pillage  the  city  was  debated  at  length,  but 
at  last  abandoned  because  of  its  hazardousness  and  the  inevitable 
loss  of  life  that  it  would  involve,  for  to  take  life  was  not  our  ob- 
ject— it  was  only  to  humble  the  men  who  had  waxed  rich  at  the 
expense  of  the  poor.  The  incendiary’s  torch  was  finally  fixed 
upon,  and  on  the  ninth  day  of  August  preparations  were  actively 
begun  to  carry  it  into  execution. 

Several  times  a day  was  fixed  for  the  awful  tragedy,  but  as  of- 
ten abandoned.  The  co-operation  of  the  elements  was  needed. 
The  torch  was  first  applied  to  the  warehouse  on  the  corner  of 
State  and  Sixteenth  streets  on  the  gusty  morning  of  the  30th  of 


I 


V 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


193 


September.  It  was  hoped  that  the  high  south  wind  then  pre- 
vailing would  carry  the  flames  to  the  row  of  frame  buildings  to 
the  Northward,  but  a sudden  change  in  the  wind  defeated  the 
project  by  enabling  the  fire  department  to  quench  the  flames. 
Again  on  the  Saturday  night  preceding  the  catastrophe  a match 
was  applied  on  Canal  street,  and  for  a few  hours  all  seemed  to  be 
working  well,  and  but  for  the  failure  of  one  of  the  petroleum 
mines  to  ignite,  Sabbath  morning  would  have  seen  Chicago  in 
ashes. 

But  the  doom  that  was  overhanging  the  city  was  delayed  but 
a day,  and  that  day  came  near  proving  fatal  to  our  plans,  for 
then  and  only  then  were  we  in  danger  of  betrayal. 

All  day  long  we  had  been  in  secret  conclave  where  no  mortal 
could  spy  out  our  doings.  Petroleum  mines  had  been  laid  in  a 
score  of  places,  and  trusty  men  were  stationed  at  each  of  them 
to  apply  the  match  at  the  proper  moment.  The  plot  had  been 
arranged  that  all  should  appear  as  accident,  our  part  being 
mainly  to  assist  the  progress  of  the  flames,  for  we  knew  that, 
once  beyond  a certain  limit,  no  agency  could  stay  them.  The 
place  above  all  others  in  the  city  which  promised  the  great 
measure  of  success  was  in  the  barn  on  DeKoven  street.  No 
“ old  Irish  hag  ” was  milking  her  cow  at  the  time,  as  the  report- 
ers of  the  city  press  are  determined  to  have  it.  A human  being 
of  a different  sex  was  there,  however,  but  had  disapi  .ared,  as  if 
by  magic,  before  any  mortal  eye  had  remarked  his  presence. 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  jaded  firemen  at  the  scene  of  the 
conflagration,  half  a dozen  mines  had  been  touched  off,  and 
their  efforts  to  subdue  the  flames  were  as  futile  as  the  effort  of  a 
child  to  stem  the  raging  cataract  of  Niagara.  When  the  flames 
had  reached  the  river,  work  began  on  the  South  side.  Simulta- 
neously a mine  was  sprung  at  the  gas-works,  and  another  near 
Van  Buren  street  bridge,  and  two  whole  blocks  were  a seething 
hell  of  flame  in  less  time  than  it  takes  my  unaccustomed  pen  to 
tell  it.  From  thence  onward  the  fire  was  assisted  by  a mine  set 
on  Wells  street,  near  Monroe,  another  a block  and  a half  further 
east,  and  still  another  in  Farwell  Hall.  Few  on  that  eventful 
Sunday  night  suspeeted  that  they  were  sitting  over  a magazine 
that  needed  but  the  touch  of  a match  to  involve  them  in  a 
perfect  hell  of  flame. 

From  that  point  the  destruction  of  the  South  side,  with  its 
massive  granite  piles  and  well-stored  warehouses,  was  assured. 
Onward  sped  the  flames,  and  wherever  they  appeared  likely  to 
skip,  a new  magazine  was  fire,  and  ruin  with  his  fearful  front 
involved  the  fair  city. 

I had  been  delegated  to  explode  the  powder  magazine  on 
South  Water  street. 

Our  only  fear  of  want  of  success  wras  that  the  authorities, 
failing  to  stay  the  mad  current  of  fire  by  ordinary  means,  would 


194 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


resort  to  the  last  and  only  hope — lay  a few  blocks  in  ruins  by 
means  of  gunpowder.  To  guard  against  this  a train  had  been 
laid  communicating  with  the  magazine,  and  required  but  a spark 
to  destroy  it.  When  the  work  had  been  fully  inaugurated,  I 
hastened  to  the  point  to  which  I had  been  assigned,  wild  with  a 
frenzy  more  terrible  than  any  I had  ever  before  experienced. 
I reached  the  spot  where  the  match  should  have  been  applied. 
A huge  coal  lay  within  a few  feet  of  it.  A slight  kick  from  my 
foot  would  have  placed  it  over  the  hidden  fuse,  but  the  streets 
were  thronged  with  people,  and  I shrank  from  committing  the 
act  that  would  have  plunged  hundreds  of  human  beings  into 
eternity. 

That  moment’s  hesitation  was  their  salvation.  The  powder 
brigade  arrived  almost  upon  the  instant,  and  the  explosive  was 
removed  from  the  building.  Among  the  first  barrels  removed 
were  those  with  which  the  train  communicated,  and  although  a 
stray,  spark  afterward  fired  the  fuse,  no  explosion  followed. 

Hardly  had  I recovered  from  the  momentary  flash  of  humane 
feeling  that  overcame  me,  than  I was  placed  in  imminent  peril  of 
my  life.  The  flames  had  advanced  Northward  on  both  sides  of 
where  I stood,  and  were  rushing  toward  me  with  fearful  rapid- 
ity. Dazed  by  the  various  conflicting  emotions  that  had  filled 
my  breast,  I had  not  noticed  this,  and  when  I awoke  from  my 
trance  the  most  horrible  of  deaths  stared  me  in  the  face.  Hem- 
med in  on  every  side  in  a crucible  of  fire,  I for  a moment  gave 
way  to  despair.  But  despair  gave  me  strength,  and,  breaking 
down  a heavy  door,  I rushed  through  a store  to  the  river  and 
plunged  into  its  waters.  A boat  moored  at  the  dock  assisted 
me  to  cross,  although  I did  not  waste  time  in  getting  into  it, 
but  pushed  it  before  me  as  I swam.  Beaching  the  North-side,  I 
ran  with  all  my  speed  through  the  streets  toward  the  city  limits, 
seeking  to  escape. 

In  the  meantime,  my  co-workers  in  crime  had  not  been  idle. 
As  the  currant  of  fire  passed  northward  from  Van  Buren  street, 
it  appeared  that  a large  tract  bounded  on  the  north  by  Madison 
street,  and  on  the  west  by  Dearborn  street,  including  a valuable 
section  of  the  city,  would  escape  the  terrible  destruction  that  had 
visited  the  remainder  of  the  city.  The  flames  had  proceeded 
along,  Harrison  and  Yan  Buren  streets  to  Fourth  avenue,  and 
here  seem  to  have  spent  their  force.  It  was  a terrible  moment. 
A few  brave  men  battled  with  the  demon  and  but  for  the  omni- 
presence of  the  league  would  have  stayed  its  progress.  But  a 
man  rushed  into  a house  that  had  been  abandoned  by  its  occu- 
pants, ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  saving  some  household  uten- 
sils that  had  i been  left,  and  returned  laden  with  goods ; but  a 
moment  afterward  the  rear  of  the  building  became  a mass  of 
flame,  and  a gust  of  wind  carried  it  eastward  to  the  lake  and 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  195 

northward  over  the  district  that  had  thus  far  been  spared,  thus 
completing  the  universal  ruin. 

ON  THE  NORTHERN  SIDE 

it  had  been  intended  to  destroy  but  few  buildings,  and  these  the 
business  headquarters  and  residences  of  the  affluent.  As  during 
the  progress  of  the  fire  on  the  South  Side,  mines  were  sprung  in 
various  localities  as  the  flames  advanced,  but  only  where  the 
natural  course  of  the  flames  was  likely  to  leave  the  work  but  im- 
perfectly done. 

The  fire  progressed  too  slowly.  The  water-works  were  in  full 
blast,  and  there  was  danger  that  through  their  agency  some  of 
the  buildings  doomed  to  demolition  would  be  saved.  The  works 
had  been  prepared  for  destruction,  but  the  time  had  not  arrived, 
as  the  fire  was  several  blocks  away.  But,  notwithstanding  this 
fact,  the  match  was  applied,  and  the  workmen  were  obliged  to 
fly  for  their  lives.  In  their  flight  the  man  who  had  fired  the 
mine  was  overthrown  and  badly  injured,  and  as  the  fire  advanced 
he  fell  a victim  to  its  fury. 

This  ended. the  work  of  the  incendiaries.  The  elements  com- 
pleted the  . destruction,  and  the  loveliest  portion  of  Chicago  was 
a wasted  and  dreary  ruin.  The  .results  are  more  than  had  been 
anticipated,  and  not  yet  satisfactory.  Many  buildings  that  had 
been  doomed  escaped  the  fiery  ordeal,  while  a large  tract  that  it 
had  been  determined  to  spare  is  now  a ruin.  Ketribution  is  not 
long  in  following  the  perpetrators  of  great  crimes.  Two  of  the 
original  founders  of  the  organization  in  Chicago  met  death  in  the 
terrible  conflagration  they  had  instigated,  and  I alone  am  spared 
to  suffer  worse  than  a thousand  deaths  from  the  stings  of  con- 
science. Seven  of  the  men  delegated  to  assist  the  fire  in  its 
progress  also  perished  miserably  in  the  hell  they  had  conjured 
up,  while  two  others  are  probably  maimed  for  life. 

As  for  myself,  I have  little  hope  of  escaping  vengeance.  The 
oath  to  which  I subscribed  carries  with  it  the.  penalty  of  death 
in  a form,  more  horrible  than  any  that  has  been  visited  upon 
mortal  since  the  sun  first  rose  over  chaos.  The  organization  is 
omnipresent,  permeating  every  circle  of  society,  each; member 
being  bound  to  mete  out  the  penalty  of  the  oath  to  any  one  who 
may  divulge  its  secrets.  This,  its  greatest . of  secrets,  has  been 
written  under  the  load  of  a guilty,  conscience.  Life  has  lost  all 
its  attractions  for  me,  and  I scarcely  care,  to  live,  save  to  see  the 
damage  caused  partly  through  my. instrumentality  repaired.  But 
if  it  shall  appear  that  I cannot  escape  from  those  who  have  al- 
ready involved  me  in  so  much  misery,  I will  yet  not  die  at  their 
hands,  but  will  prefer  to  lie  in  accursed  ground. 

P.  S. — Let  me  add  one  word  of  warning.  Other  cities,  both 
in  this  country  and  Europe,  have  been  threatened  with  fire.” 


196 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


That  many  of  our  prominent  citizens  believe  in  the  genuine- 
ness of  these  revolutions,  is  demonstrated  in  their  daily  conver- 
sation ; and  it  is  by  no  means  impossible  that  they  are  founded 
in  truth. 


SCENE  IN  THE  GERMAN  CEMETERY.  TIIE  LIVING  SEEKING  SAFETY  IN  THE  CITY  OF  THE  DEAD 


ALL 


FOF^  J'iELP  FOi^  ^ 


HICAGO. 


BY  N.  S.  EMERSON, 


For  years  our  beautiful  city 
Has  grown  in  her  strength  and  pride, 
Strong  as  an  Indian  warrior, 

Fair  as  a hunters  bride  ; 

But  up  from  her  hearts  quick  throbbing, 
List  to  our  pitiful  cry. 

“A  Demon  has  been  among  us, 

Help!  or  we  surely  die. 


“A  Demon  whose  power  was  stronger 
Than  the  strength  of  our  puny  hands, 
“Who  paused  not  to  ask  for  favors, 

But  took  the  wealth  of  our  lands: 

We  fought  him  with  desperate  courage, 
He  laughed  at  our  fruitless  pain, 

We  begged  him  to  spare  our  treasures 
Alas!  that  we  begged  in  vain. 


“ Spare  us  McVickers  temple, 

Home  of  dramatic  art.” 

The  demon  shrieked  and  McVickers 
Was  booked  for  its  closing  part. 

“Spare  us  our  Tribune  building, 

Stately  and  high  and  strong, 

“Whence  the  Messenger  birds  fly  daily 
To  battle  against  the  wrong.” 


200 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


The  demon  crept  over  the  pavement 
And  clutched  at  the  pillars  fair, 

And  only  a heap  of  embers 
And  a wreath  of  smoke  were  there. 

“ Spare  us  then  Colyers  pulpit, 

He  has  fought  in  the  Lords  good  fight,” 
“And  every  word  he  utters 
Is  an  anvil  stroke  for  the  right.” 

“I  am  no  respecter  of  person,” 

Quoth  the  demon  grim  and  dread, 

“ And  Colly er  can  preach  next  Sunday 
With  God’s  blue  sky  o’er  head.” 

Thus  hath  the  red  browed  Fire  Fiend 
Stolen  our  treasures  dear, 

Sucked  out  our  hearts  best  life  blood, 
And  left  us  to  famish  here. 

Gone  are  our  shrines  and  altars, 

Gone  are  the  hopes  we  cherished, 

All  in  one  hot  breath  wasted, 

All  in  a moment  perished, 

Lost  is  the  grain  we  garnered, 

Harvest  of  years  gone  by. 

Help  us,  for  we  are  starving, 

Help!  or  we  surely  die. 


ERIE  RAILROAD  DEPOT.  NEW  YORK  CITY.  PROMPT  RELEIF  FOR  CHICAGO. 


^StAF^TING  OP  THE  |Ml\ST  j^IGHTNING  J^I^AIN 


WITH  RELIEF  FOR  CHICAGO. 


BY  N.  S.  EMERSON. 


From  the  desolating  power, 

Of  the  fire  fiend,  hour  by  hour, 

We  could  see  the  stricken  city,  crushed  and  smothered  as  she  lay, 

We  could  hear  her  children  crying, 

Homeless,  helpless,  weary,  dying  ; 

And  we  answered,  “Of  our  bounty  we  will  share  with  you  to-day.” 

So  the  engine  dumbly  waited, 

With  its  strong  hot  breathing  bated, 

While  the  twice  ten  thousand  packages  and  bales  and  boxes  came, 
Brought  in  every  form  and  fashion, 

By  our  wide  awake  compassion, 

For  the  sufferers  who  were  writhing  ’neath  their  fierce  baptismal  flame. 

Since  the  earliest  flush  of  dawning, 

Through  the  busy  Autumn  morning, 

Food  and  clothing  had  been  gathered,  and  one  quaint  big  box  we  found, 
Hustled  in  among  the  others, 

Labelled  “For  our  starving  brothers,  In  the  care  of  J.  F.  Jr., 

God’s  Expressman  ! Westward  bound.” 

“ God’s  Expressman  !”  Each  rude  letter 
Told  of  labor’s  clinging  fetter,  [fraught,] 

On  the  clumsy  hand  that  traced  them,  but  the  heart  with  love  was 
And  we  gave  our  tribute  cheery, 

Honor  to  the  Prince  of  Erie, 

Blessings  from  the  weak  and  weary,  on  the  generous  work  he  wrought. 

But  the  cars  were  packed,  overflowing, 

And  the  engine  pufling,  blowing ; 

While,  with  hand  upon  the  throttle,  stood  the  stem  faced  engineer; 
Tall  and  strong,  all  nerve  and  muscle, 

Heedless  of  the  noise  and  bustle, 

Seeing  well  the  work  before  him,  with  no  sign  or  thought  of  fear. 


204 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


“Heady  Sam  ?”  The  grey  eyes  brightened, 

And  the  brawny  hand  clasp  tightened, 

“ Beady  Colonel ! every  man  is  at  place  to-day,  I know.” 

Said  the  Colonel  quick  and  clear, 

To  the  waiting  engineer, 

“What’s  the  fastest  time  on  record  from  New  York  to  Buffalo  ?” 

“We  have  made  it  in  Twelve-twenty  1” 

“Do  it  now  in  ’Leven- twenty!” 

“Aye  ! Aye  ! Colonel!”  came  the  answer  with  a hearty  vim  and  powei 
“ Start  her  Sam!”  and  cheers  were  sounded, 

And  the  first  long  curve  was  rounded, 

And  beyond  our  sight  and  hearing, 

Mid  the  blessing  and  the  cheering, 

Westward  flew  the  train  of  treasure,  Forty,  Fifty  miles  an  hour. 

Westward  still!  We  hear  the  echo! 

“Here  is  comfort  for  Chicago;” 

And  through  busy  towns  and  villages,  the  laden  coaches  fly. 

Many  a voice  cried  out  “ God  speed  them,” 

And  the  pitying  angels  heed  them, 

As  upon  their  Heaven  sent  mission,  quick  as  light  they  hurry  by. 

“In  the  Smithfield  light  the  fires,” 

Said  the  message  on  the  wires, 

And  we  fancy  swarthy  fireman  twice  a hundred  miles  away, 

Listening  for  the  long,  low  humming 
Of  the  “James  Fisk  Jr. ’’coming, 

Making  fastest  time  on  record,  on  that  memorable  day. 

Ye  who  mourn  the  lessening  stature 
Of  our  modern  human  nature, 

And  the  wickedness  and  weakness  of  our  cultured  lives  deplore. 

Cease  your  scoffing  and  your  scorning, 

Think  of  that  bright  autumn  morning, 

Think  of  all  the  generous  wishes  which  the  train  of  treasures  bore. 

Heart  and  hand  had  wrought  together, 

Knowing  not  nor  caring  whether 

Friend  or  stranger  would  be  succored  by  the  bounty  of  their  store. 
Every  Iron  horse  was  ready, 

Every  driver  firm  and  steady, 

Every  whistle  rang  a rally, 

Through  the  Susquehanna  valley, 

And  the  lightning  train  sped  onward,  Forty,  Fifty  miles  an  hour. 


GEN  Eli  AIi  DEPOT  OE  SUPPLIES  FOR  THE  SUFFERERS  BY  THE  FIRE. 


RELIEF 


HEAVENLY  CHARITY — SUBLIME  SYMPATHY.  THE  GREAT  HEART  OP 
THE  PEOPLE  AROUSED.  IMMENSE  DONATIONS  FROM  ALL 
PARTS  OF  THE  COUNTRY,  ETC. 


On  the  morning  of  the  9th  of  October,  1871,  the  telegraphic 
wires  flashed  to  every  part  of  this  nation,  and  to  nearly  every 
portion  of  the  civilized  world,  the  shocking  intelligence  that 
Chicago  was  in  flames,  hundreds  of  lives  had  been  destroyed, 
and  ten  thousand  families  were  homeless,  shelterless,  scantily 
clad,  and  suffering  intensely  with  cold,  hunger,  fatigue  and  fright. 
The  whole  world  was  appalled.  The  thrilling  horror  chilled 
every  heart,  and  for  a moment  paralyzed  every  hand.  Men 
stood  aghast  at  the  startling  and  terrific  announcement,  that 
acres  of  buildings  were  in  embers  and  men,  women  and  children 
terror-stricken,  were  fleeing  for  life,  from  what,  but  yesterday 
were  comfortable  and  happy  homes.  It  was  difficult  to  realize 
the  awful  calamity.  It  seemed  to  be  an  exaggeration,  and  all 
hoped,  at  first,  that  it  would  prove  such.  But  later  dispatches 
more  than  confirmed  the  previous  intelligence ; and,  ere  mid-day, 
Mayor  Mason  of  the  doomed  city,  had  telegraphed  to  the  Mayors 
of  the  principal  cities  in  the  country,  the  fact  of  the  utter  desti- 
tution of  the  people,  and  appealing  for  food,  clothing  and  other 
necessaries  of  life. 

His  touching  appeal  aroused  the  people  to  their  senses.  The 
great  heart  of  humanity  throbbed  with  the  emotion.  Heaven 
born  charity,  that  divine  principle  in  man,  which  most  resembles 
the  author  of  his  being,  and  which  blesses  the  possessor  no  less 
than  the  recipient  of  his  favors,  in  a moment  was  quickened  new- 
ness of  life  in  every  heart  throughout  the  nation  and  even  across 
the  broad  Atlantic ; and  a sublime,  human  sympathy,  limited  to 
no  section,  nation  or  race,  to  no  party,  creed  or  social  condition, 
instantly  was  displayed  in  active  word  for  relief.  A portion  of 
humanity,  was  suddenly  and  sorely  stricken  and  afflicted,  and 
purse-strings  were  loosened  everywhere.  In  a brief  space  of  time, 
the  Mayors  of  cities  had  issued  orders  for  the  assembling  of  coun- 
cils ; Presidents  of  Chambers  of  Commerce,  and  Boards  of  Trade, 


208 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


Officers  of  Masonic,  Odd  Fellows,  Temperance  and  other  societies 
and  Ministers  of  different  religions  sects  had  notified  their  re- 
spective bodies  to  assemble  for  the  purpose  of  taking  immediate 
action  in  regard  to  providing  for  the  sufferings  of  the  distressed 
people  of  the  burnt  district  of  Chicago.  With  alacrity  the 
members  responded  to  this  call  and  when  assembled,  although 
hearts  were  overflowing  with  generous  sympathy  and  tongues 
were  let  loose  in  eloquent  portrayal  of  the  necessities  of  the 
people  of  a sister  city,  impoverished  in  a single  night,  by  the 
destructive  ravages  of  the  fiery  element,  yet  no  unnecessary 
words  were  spoken,  for  all  felt  that  not  a moment  should  be  lost, 
if  they  would  succor  those  in  distress,  in  the  hour  of  their  direst 
need.  Action,  action,  prompt  and  efficient  action  was  the  soul- 
stirring eloquence  on  those  occasions.  In  accordance  with  the 
object  of  the  gathering,  in  each  case  respectively,  when  some 
generous  member  would  lead  off  with  a resolution  donating  a 
sum,  which  under  other  circumstances  would  have  been  deemed 
a most  exorbitant  demand  upon  their  treasury,  ere  the  member 
had  fairly  pronounced  the  sum,  another  would  spring  to  his  feet 
and  move  to  amend,  by  doubling  the  amount ; a third  one  would 
treble  it,  when  a half  dozen,  all  at  once,  would  amend  the  resolu- 
tion by  naming  a sum  at  least  four  times  as  large  as  the  original 
motion,  so  unselfish  and  generous  had  they  become  under  the 
inspiration  of  this  unparalleled  calamity.  Cities  and  towns  all 
over  the  country,  in  their  corporate  capacity,  made  haste  to  vie 
with  each  other,  both  in  the  amount  of  their  donations,  and  the 
speed  with  which  they  should  forward  both  money  and  supplies 
to  the  unfortunate,  though  brave  and  deserving  city. 

FIREMEN  FROM  ABROAD. 

As  the  news  was  received  that  the  firemen  of  Chicago  were 
entirely  overcome  with  fatigue  it  became  necessary  that  brave 
and  skilful  firemen  in  other  places  should  volunteer  their  servi- 
ces in  this  time  of  fearful  need ; and  hundreds  of  these  unselfish, 
couragous,  and  noble  men,  with  their  splendid  steam  fire-engines, 
from  the  principal  cities  within  several  hundred  miles,  were 
quickly  on  their  way  to  lend  their  utmost  aid  to  stay  the  further 
progress  of  the  devouring  flames;  and,  to  encourage  and  assist 
the  suffering  citizens  in  every  other  way  within  their  power.  As 
delegation  after  delegation  arrived,  they  were  welcomed  with 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


209 


loud  cheers  and  heartfelt  thanks  by  the  terribly  afflicted  citizens, 
who  hailed  them  as  friends  indeed,  because  friends  in  need.  But 
when  these  noble  men,  with  that  cool  bravery  and  discrimina- 
ting judgment,  so  peculiar  to  tried  and  experienced  firemen,  sta- 
tioned their  engines,  steamed  up  and  commenced  their  attack 
upon  the  devouring  element,  they  were  enthusiastically  cheered 
by  the  people,  who  greatfully  acknowledged  their  efficiency  and 
important  and  praiseworthy  efforts. 

Each  delegation  of  firemen  also  received  public  acknowledge- 
ment of  their  invaluable  services. 

UNEXAMPLED  LIBERALITY  OP  CITY  GOVERNMENTS  AND  CORPORATIONS. 

City  councils  everywhere  throughout . the  country,  convened 
with  the  utmost  promptitude  and  voted  and  forwarded  donations 
of  money  and  necessary  articles,  with  unprecedented  liberality 
and  extraordinary  dispatch  ; their  hearts  seeming  to  lie  in  their 
hands  and  their  hands  thrust  deep  into  the  treasury  of  the  peo- 
ple, who,  for  once,  not  only  approved  of  the  lavish  expenditure, 
but  were  ready  to  urge  their  councilmen  to  give  still  more  gener- 
ously. Every  Chamber  of  Commerce  probably  in  the  Union,  on 
receipt  of  the  frightful  intelligence  of  the  terrible  fire,  immediately 
held  a special  relief  session  and  voted  large  sums  of  money, 
which  were  promptly  forwarded  to  the  proper  authorities. 

Boards  of  Trade  all  over  the  land  also  convened  with  alacrity 
and  poured  out  their  treasures  abundantly ; swelling  greatly  the 
funds  which  were  to  partially  relieve  the  distresses  of  those  who 
had  thus  suddenly  lost  their  all,  and  were  afflicted,  as  were  never 
before  so  many  persons  in  so  short  a time. 

Committees  from  the  City  Councils,  Chambers  of  Commerce  and 
Boards  of  Trade  of  each  city,  were  generally  appointed  to  co-ope- 
rate with  each  other  in  the  distribution  of  their  donations,  so 
that  their  charities  would  be  the  more  effectual  and  speedy  in 
relieving  distress. 

The  overflowing  sympathies  and  munificent  charities  of  the 
people  all  over  the  country,  sublimely  portrayed  the  generous 
impulses  of  humanity,  and  the  grand  fact  that  an  occasion  only 
was  needed  to  show  that  much  of  the  angel  still  inhered  to  man. 
Majestically  did  the  American  people,  upon  this  occasion,  portray 
their  relationship  with  angels.  Masonic  societies  all  over  the 
country,  prompted  by  the  ties  of  brotherhood  and  holy  princi- 


210 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


pies  of  charity,  were  not  tardy  in  convening  nor  niggardly  in 
their  donations  of  relief,  and  not  dilatory  in  forwarding  them  to 
the  sufferers,  with  brotherly  assurances  that  those  were  but  an 
earnest  of  what  they  would  do  in  the  future,  in  case  of  need. 
Odd-Fellows  Lodges,  inspired  by  the  heavenly  principles  of 
“ friendship,  love  and  truth,”  responded  nobly  in  behalf  of  the 
sufferers,  sparing  no  efforts,  and  making  no  delay  in  dispatching 
their  abundant  contributions,  while  offering  words  of  consolation 
and  hope,  and  expressions  of  earnest  and  tender  sympathy. 
The  societies  of  “ Good  Men,”  “ Eed  Men,”  Order  of  Pythias, 
Son  of  Temperance,  Good  Templars,  and  mutual  benefit  socie- 
ties of  every  other  name,  all  made  generous  donations,  forget- 
ing,  for  the  time  being,  all  selfish  ideas  and  feelings,  and  having 
before  them  only  the  idea  of  a whole  city  in  dire  distress,  ap- 
pealing for  succor.  They  all  offered  words  of  cheer,  flanked  by 
grand  donations  of  money,  or  what  was  equivalent.  Corpora- 
tions, for  once,  if  never  before,  proved  that  they  were  not  de- 
void of  souls,  but  stirred  by  human  and  generous  sympathies, 
alive  to  the  sufferings  of  humanity,  and  ready  and  willing  to 
give  liberally  to  relieve  their  distress. 

Though  thousands  of  our  citizens  were  houseless  and  hungry 
on  the  desolate  prairie,  yet  so  utterly  were  we  paralyzed  by  the 
stupendous  shock,  that  people  at  a distance  seemed  to  compre- 
hend our  situation  more  readily  and  thoroughly  than  we  did  our- 
selves. 

We  knew  not  what  to  ask  for,  but  hundreds  and  thousands 
seemed  to  know  by  intuition  what  to  give,  and  assistance  flowed 
in  from  the  most  unexpected  sources  and  with  the  most  unpar- 
alleled munificence. 

As  early  as  daybreak  on  Tuesday  morning  the  farmers  and 
merchants  from  the  towns  near,  as  well  as  from  the  unburnt  por- 
tions of  the  city,  emptied  their  cellars  and  storehouses  for  our 
relief,  and  right  grateful  were  we  for  their  prompt  and  generous 
bounty.  All  day  long  car-loads  and  wagon-loads  of  provisions 
were  being  brought  in,  while  the  active  Belief  Committee,  organ- 
ized as  by  magic,  received  and  distributed  with  wise  discrimina- 
tion these  truly  wonderful  gifts. 

Soon  contributions  came  from  greater  distances  : for  days  and 
weeks  the  tide  flowed  in,  bearing  almost  unlimited  supplies  of 
food,  clothing,  and  money,  and  for  two  months  every  day  brought 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  211 

its  quota.  The  whole  amount  from  the  different  states  may  be 
summed  up  in  round  numbers,  as  follows  : 

LIBERAL  CONTRIBUTIONS  FROM  THE  VARIOUS  STATES. 

Massachusetts,  five  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 

New  York,  four  hundred  thousand. 

Pennsylvania,  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand. 

Maryland,  two  hundred  thousand. 

New  Jersey,  one  hundred  and  eighty  thousand. 

California,  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand. 

Connecticut,  seventy  thousand. 

Rhode  Island,  fifty  thousand. 

New  Hampshire,  forty  thousand. 

Ohio,  fifty  thousand. 

Illinois,  fifty  thousand. 

Virginia,  thirty  thousand, 

Kansas,  twenty-eight  thousand. 

Indiana,  twenty-five  thousand. 

Minnesota,  twenty-five  thousand. 

Tennessee,  twenty-four  thousand. 

Maine,  fifteen  thousand. 

Louisiana,  fifteen  thousand. 

And  every  other  state  and  territory  in  the  Uuion  gave  propor- 
tionately, until  the  amount  of  money  received  by  the  Chicago 
Relief  and  Aid  Society,  up  to  December  1st,  reached  the  grand 
sum  of  three  millions. 

ILLINOIS  LEGISLATURE. 

Governor  Palmer  called  a special  session  of  the  Legislature, 
to  convene  on  the  13th  of  Oct.  According  to  the  constitution  of 
the  State  the  Legislature  could  not  appropriate  more  than  $250, 
000,  but  that,  in  addition  to  the  millions  outside,  added  much 
to  relieve  the  terrible  distresses  of  the  people.  They  passed  a 
bill  to  relieve  Chicago  of  taxes  for  the  present  year,  to  the 
amount  of  $3,000,000.  As  this  amount  would  have  to  be  made 
up  by  other  portions  of  the  State,  it  is  creditable  to  the  State 
that  there  was  no  more  grumbling  from  the  press  and  people ; 
and  that  they  generally  so  cheerfully  acquiesced  in  such  a law. 


212 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


RAILROADS. 

MAGNIFICENT  LIBERALITY. 

The  railroads  gave  free  transportation  to  all  who  wished  to 
leave  the  city,  and  thousands  of  people  availed  themselves  of  the 
privilege  thus  offered,  either  to  find  shelter  under  friendly  roofs, 
or  seek  relief  elsewhere. 

All  our  Railroad  corporations  did  noble  and  generous  work. 

Railroad  companies  in  every  part  of  the  country,  through 
their  officers,  at  once  announced  to  the  public,  that  their  roads 
wrere  ready  to  transport  goods  of  all  descriptions,  donated  for 
the  benefit  of  the  sufferers,  together  with  the  properly  appointed 
committees  for  their  distribution,  to  Chicago,  free  of  cost.  And 
they  all  promptly  and  faithfully  fulfilled  their  promises. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. 

The  Committee  on  Subsistence  and  Railroad  Trains  on  behalf  of 
the  General  Chicago  Relief  Committee  desire  to  return  thanks  to 
J.  McCreigliton,  Assistant  Superintendent  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad,  for  the  interest  taken  by  him  in  relieving  Chicago  suf- 
ferers, he  having  passed  through,  free  of  charge,  over  one 
thousand  persons,  and  expressed  a willingness  to  aid  the  Com- 
mittee in  every  way  he  could.  They  were  also  indebted  to  Mr. 
Unger,  Manager  of  the  Union  Depot  Hotel,  for  kindness  shown 
and  assistance  rendered  in  taking  care  of  the  sufferers,  he  having 
furnished  meals  to  over  one  hundred  free  of  charge,  and  provided 
many  others  with  meals  at  a rate  merely  covering  cost. 

JOHN  MOORHEAD. 

Reuben  Miller,  Chairman. 

Secretary. 

All  the  roads  leading  out  of  Chicago,  for  days,  carried  free  of 
charge  such  of  the  homeless  as  had  friends  in  other  places. 
And  in  every  wray  possible  for  them  to  facilitate  the  distribution 
of  charities,  by  carrying  either  donations,  or  authorized  persons 
connected  with  the  Relief  Committees,  to  or  fro,  they  responded 
promptly  and  liberally.  The  same  should  be  said  of  all  the  ex- 
press companies,  they  promptly  aiding  in  transporting  goods  to 
Chicago  from  all  points  of  the  country.  Indeed,  they  were 
mighty  auxiliaries  in  the  gigantic  work  of  feeding,  clothing,  and 
otherwise  rendering  comfortable  a hundred  thousand  people, 
who  in  one  night  were  stripped  of  their  all. 


THE  BUSH  FOB  LIFE  OVEB  EANDOLPH  STBEET  UBIDGE 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


217 


At  sunrise,  the  Eleventh  of  October,  only  two  days  after  the 
fire,  Col.  James  Fisk,  Jr.  mounted  one  of  the  splendid  express 
wagons  connected  with  the  Erie  Bail  Boad,  and  gathering  up  the 
reins,  drove  six  in  hand  about  New  York  City,  receiving  contri- 
butions, which  were  freely  offered,  and  the  more  generously  giver 
as  the  personal  magnetism  of  Col.  Eisk  inspired  every  one  1 
met  with  something  of  his  own  enthusiasm. 

At  ten  o’clock  that  morning,  seven  cars  heavily  laden  with  * 
supplies  of  all  kinds  were  ready  to  start  from  the  Erie  Depot.  It 
was  there  that  the  mammoth  box  was  found  marked,  “ Care  of 
James  Fisk,  Jr.,  God’s  Expressman.” 

Mr.  Crouch,  who  went  with  the  train  as  super-cargo,  as  well  as 
the  engineer,  Samuel  Walker,  testify  that  all  along  the  route 
crowds  of  enthusiastic  people  gathered  at  the  principal  depots, 
bidding  the  train  God  speed,  and  even  attempting  to  throw  par- 
cels upon  the  cars  as  they  hurried  by.  This  was  the  first  light- 
ning relief  train,  and  made  unprecedented  time. 

The  name  of  the  engine  used  on  this  occasion,  in  starting  from 
New  York,  was  the  ‘‘James  Fisk,  jr.”  On  the  evening  of  that  day, 
Col.  Fisk  wrote  to  the  Mayor  of  Chicago  as  follows  : 

“We  have  received,  since  the  departure  of  the  Lightning 
Belief  train  this  morning,  over  ten  thousand  consignments  for 
the  sufferers  at  Chicago. 

It  is  quite  impossible  to  enumerate  either  the  contents  or  the 
value  of  the  packages  gathered,  but  a person  competent  to  judge, 
who  inspected  the  goods  forwarded  by  that  train,  estimated  their 
cash  value  at  not  less  than  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  We 
have,  from  appearances,  as  much,  if  not  more,  to  receive  to-mor- 
row, which  we  shall  forward  by  our  regular  express  trains. 

MUNIFICENCE  OF  NEW-YORKERS. 

On  the  next  day,  the  people  of  New  York,  not  in  the  least 
having  abated  their  interest  in  the  Chicago  sufferers,  poured  in 
contributions  from  every  quarter.  Immense  supplies  were  fur- 
nished for  consignment  by  the  railroads,  large  numbers  of  persons 
of  every  age  and  both  sexes  came  to  the  railroad  depots  with 
packages  of  various  sizes  and  descriptions.  At  the  Erie  depot 
clothing  came  in  bundles,  bales,  trunks,  valises  and  cases.  Boxes 
and  barrels  formed  by  far  the  largest  part  of  the  offerings.  Pro- 
visions were  also  contributed  in  abundance  of  every  kind.  One 
firm  in  Williamsburgh,  a sugar  refinery,  gave  one  hundred  and 
four  barrels  of  crushed  sugar.  The  contributions  received  by  the 


218  THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 

Erie  company  alone  amounted  to  about  $100,000  per  day  for 
several  days. 

At  a meeting  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York  City, 
held  on  the  11th  of  October,  $109,243.50  were  raised,  and 
$32,082.00  reported  for  the  day  before,  making  a total  of 
$181,325.50. 

Five  thousand  dollars  were  contributed  from  the  funds  of  the 
Gold  Exchange,  and  in  addition  the  members  subscribed  quite 
liberally,  especially,  as  many  of  them,  as  members  of  the  Mer- 
chants’ Exchange  had  previously  subscribed  large  sums.  Their 
contributions  and  those  through  the  Drug  Exchange  Committee, 
were  $12,086.  The  Wholesale  Coal  Traders,  at  a meeting  on  the 
same  day  subscribed  $4,300  and  a Committee  was  appointed  to 
obtain  further  contributions.  The  total  subscriptions  by  the 
Exchange  up  to  the  10th,  were  $27,000,  and  of  the  Cotton  Ex- 
change, $14,000.  The  Jersey  City  Board  of  Finance  and  Taxa- 
tion voted  to  ’issue  one  year  bonds  for  $50,000  for  the  relief  of 
the  sufferers. 

In  the  Academy  of  Music,  Brooklyn,  a mass  meeting  was  held 
for  the  purpose  of  raising  means  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers. 

The  amount  of  all  the  subscriptions,  from  every  source,  thus 
grandly  commenced,  reached  an  enormous  figure. 

In  thus  giving  some  of  the  initial  work  in  raising  funds  for  the 
Chicago  sufferers  in  the  Metropolis  of  the  country,  we  give  only 
what  was  done  in  every  other  city  of  the  country,  in  proportion 
to  its  size,  population  and  commercial  and  manufacturing 
importance.  The  total  amount  raised  by  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce Committee  of  New  York,  reached  the  enormous  sum  of 
$905,095,46. 

DONATIONS  BY  THE  PRESS. 

Robert  Bonner,  publisher  of  the  New  York  Ledger , presented 
$10,000  to  the  publishers  and  news  dealers  of  Chicago  who  had 
suffered  by  the  fire,  and  Street  & Smith  of  the  New  York  Weekly 
sent  a private  agent  with  $10,000  to  seek  out  and  assist  individ- 
ual dealers  who  had  lost  their  all. 

Such  generous  deeds  can  never  be  forgotten.  They  merit  and 
receive  reward.  These  large-hearted  men  will  find  that  they 
sowed  seed  in  good  ground,  which  will  bring  forth  fruit  a hundred 
fold. 

When  the  news  of  the  fearful  catastrophy  reached  Philadel- 
phia, Geo.  W.  Childs,  proprietor  of  the  Ledger,  was  absent,  not 


INTERIOR  VIEW  OF  THE  CINCINNATI  SOUP  HOUSE.  ON  PEORIA  STREET. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


223 


having  returned  from  liis  tour  in  Europe.  His  friends,  however, 
knowing  his  benevolent  nature,  subscribed  $5,000  in  his  name. 
A few  days  thereafter,  Mr.  Childs  returned,  and  his  first  act  was 
to  ratify  the  act  of  his  friends  in  respect  to  the  donation.  Few  men 
are  so  proverbially  liberal,  that  friends  would  dare  to  display 
such  generosity  in  their  names  during  their  absence.  But  in  this 
case  it  was  perfectly  safe,  there  not  being  a shadow  of  doubt  but 
he  would  approve  of  it.  All  honor  to  Geo.  W.  Childs. 

MUNIFICENCE  OF  CINCINNATI. 

Cincinnatti,  agreeably  to  her  generous  antecedents,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  great  calamity,  sounded  the  depths  of  her  benev- 
olent impulses  and  munificently  poured  forth  her  charities  to 
alleviate  the  distresses  of  the  suffering  citizens  of  Chicago. 

Her  city  council  was  immediately  convened  by  order  of  Mayor 
Davis,  and  with  noble  generosity  voted  to  appropriate  $100,000. 
The  Chamber  of  Commerce  held  a special  meeting,  as  did  the 
Board  of  Trade,  to  institute  measures  of  relief,  at  which  the 
members  subscribed  generously,  which,  together  with  the  dona- 
tions of  citizens  in  their  private  capacity,  reached  the  splendid 
sum  of  $125,000. 

Immediately,  on  the  receipt  of  the  terrible  news  that  their 
sister  city  was  in  flames,  several  of  her  best  steam-fire  engines 
were  dispatched  to  Chicago,  with  a competent  force  of  experi- 
enced firemen  to  manage  them,  under  the  efficient  management 
of  Miles  Greenwood,  which  on  their  arrival  did  admirable 
service.  Then,  with  all  possible  celerity,  twenty  car-loads  of 
provisions  were  forwarded,  with  an  efficient  committee  to  super- 
intend their  distribution.  In  order  to  make  their  contributions 
more  efficient  and  lasting,  so  as  to  serve  during  the  entire  winter, 
they  erected  a spacious  soup  house  at  the  rear  of  the  freight 
depot  of  the  Great  Eastern  Bailroad.  To  convey  to  our  readers 
an  idea  of  this  splendid  charity,  we  give  below  a description  of 
the  Cincinnatti  Soup  House. 

The  Cincinnatti  soup-house,  was  located  at  the  cor.  of  Green 
and  Carroll  streets.  The  building,  a plain  frame  structure,  30x50 
teet,  erected  at  a cost  of  $2,500.  The  machinery  essential  to  its 
operation  was  simple  and  cheap.  The  soup  was  cooked  in  six 
large  tubs,  each  filled  with  pipes,  through  which  the  steam  was 
admitted.  The  ingredients  of  the  soup  were  beans,  rice,  barley 
and  vegetables  of  all  kinds.  The  cooking  was  thorough,  and  the 


224 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


soup  produced  was  not  excelled  by  that  of  the  same  kind  furnished 
at  the  best  hotels  in  the  city.  The  establishment  has  a capacity 
to  furnish  16,000  gallons  daily. 

The  rule  was  to  give  each  person  one-sixtli  of  a gallon.  About 
3,500  were  daily  served.  This  soup-house  was  the  only  point  of 
supply.  There  was,  however,  another  point  of  distribution  at 
the  barracks,  corner  of  Centre  avenue  aud  Harrison  street,  Avhere 
about  half  the  amount  was  dealt  out.  Another  place  of  distribu- 
tion was  established  on  the  North  side.  At  the  central  soup- 
house  it  was  furnished  from  7 in  the  morning  until  7 in  the  evening. 
At  the  barracks  from  9 until  5.  Seven-eighths  of  all  those  who  ap- 
plied were  women  and  children  whose  husbands  and  fathers  were, 
to  a certain  extent,  occupied  in  the  various  industries  of  the  city. 

The  low  rates  at  which  people  were  fed  will  perhaps  aston- 
ish most  people  when  they  learn  it.  The  entire  cost  of  running 
this  establishment  was  only  $241.60  per  week,  including  all  con- 
tingents. For  this  sum  they  furnished  24,500  rations  a week. 
This  makes  the  soup  about  one  cent  per  ration,  or  six  cents  per 
gallon.  By  increasing  the  amount  it  can  be  furnished  for  four 
and  one-half  cents  per  gallon,  making  the  entire  expense  of  feed- 
ing one  person  for  a day  not  more  than  four  cents,  supposing 
the  diet  to  be  entirely  of  soup. 

The  institution  was  under  the  especial  superintendence  of  Rev. 
R.  Frankland,  formerly  connected  with  the  Cincinnati  Bethel 
and  many  other  worthy  charities.  It  was  supported  by  a fund 
of  $25,000,  set  aside  for  that  purpose  from  the  special  appropria- 
tion made  for  Chicago  relief  by  the  Cincinnati  Council.  The 
advisability  of  selling  this  soup  at  a very  moderate  rate  to  those 
who  do  not  desire  to  receive  it  as  a charity,  has  been  considered 
and  it  is  possible  that  some  plan  to  accomplish  that  end  may  be 
adopted. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  charity  of  Cincinnati  was  not  only 
upon  a grand  scale,  but  conducted  with  intelligence,  and  upon 
such  economical,  and  wise  principles,  that  their  benefits  were 
timely,  effectual  and  likely  to  continue  as  long  as  the  necessity 
for  them  existed. 

ST.  LOUIS  NOBLY  GENEROUS. 

The  people  of  St.  Louis,  also  proverbial  for  their  generous  sym- 
pathies, came  up  gloriously  to  the  work  of  relieving  the  distressed. 

Mayor  Brown  promptly  convened  the  city  council  which  voted 
to  appropriate  $50,000.  But  this  sum  was  but  a fraction  of 
what  her  liberal  citizens  contributed.  The  ladies  of  St  Louis, 
with  commendable  earnestness  and  indefatigable  energy,  set 
themselves  to  work  in  every  way  in  their  power  to  alleviate  the 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


225 


distressed.  They  gathered  large  quantities  of  clothing  and 
other  necessary  articles,  and  promptly  forwarded  them  under 
the  charge  of  a committee  of  ladies. 

SISTERS  OF  MERCY. 

The  executive  committee  received  a letter  from  the  Sisters  of 
Mercy,  residing  in  Twenty-third  and  Morgan  streets,  offering  to 
accommodate  one  hundred  girls,  seeking  situations,  if  beds  were 
provided  by  the  committee.  This  was  referred  to  the  Ladies 
Executive  Committee. 

, < 

The  following  correspondence  ensued  by  telegraph  : 

Memphis,  Oct.  12. 

Hon.  Jos.  Brown,  Mayor  : 

Persons  rendered  destitute  by  the  Chicago  fire  will  be  passed  free,  from  Hum- 
boldt to  Memphis,  on  certificate  issued  by  your  authority,  or  by  the  superinten- 
dent of  the  Iron  Mountain  or  St.  Louis  & Cairo  Short  Line  railroads. 

J.  F.  BOYD,  Supt. 

Leavenworth,  Oct.  12. 

Hon.  Jos.  Brown,  Mayor,  St  Louis  : 

Thanks  for  your  dispatch.  Have  sent  to  Chicago  four  car  loads  of  provisions 
and  clothing.  Committee  leave  immediately  with  ten  thousand  dollars  in  cash. 
All  classes  are  at  work  in  behalf  of  the  sufferers,  and  I can  promise  with  safety 
that  Leavenworth  will  swell  her  contributions  to  twenty  thousand  dollars. 

JOHN  A.  HALDEMAN,  Mayor. 

reply. 

October  13. 

Jno.  A.  Haldeman,  Mayor,  Leavenworth,  Kansas  : 

Your  dispatch  received  for  the  Chicago  destitute.  You  are  doing  nobly.  You 
are  fully  up  to  St.  Louis  in  proportion  to  your  population.  Every  one  is  now  re- 
alizing that  it  is  more  blessed  to  give  than  to  receive. 

JOSEPH  BROWN,  Mayor. 

GEO.  FRANCIS  TRAIN. 

Leavenworth,  Ks.,  Oct.  12. 

Mayor  Brown,  and  Citizens’  Committee  for  Chicago  Sufferers : 

Will  lecture  19th.  Dollar  tickets,  donating  entire  proceeds  to  Chicago. 

GEORGE  FRANCIS  TRAIN. 

ANSWER. 

Oct.  13. 

Geo.  Francis  Train,  Wyandotte,  Ks.  : 

Your  dispatch  received  proposing  to  lecture  for  benefit  of  Chicago  sufferers,  at 
one  dollar  each,  signed  Geo.  Francis  Train. 

The  executive  committee  desire  me  to  say  that  our  people  are  in  no  mood  to 
listen  to  lectures,  but  will  gladly  receive  and  forward  any  money  you  may  wish  to 
donate.  JOS.  BROWN,  Mayor. 

The  work  thus  promptly  begun  in  St.  Louis,  was  continued  for 
days  until  the  most  pressing  necessities  were  passed,  she  nobly 
doing  her  full  duty. 


LOUISVILLE. 

Louisville  did  not  fall  behind  her  sister  cities,  Cincinnati  and 
St.  Louis,  in  active  deeds  of  charity,  but  through  the  action  of 
her  city  council,  public  meetings,  benevolent  societies  and  efforts 
of  her  generous  hearted  citizens,  made  large  contribution,  merit- 


226 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


ing  and  receiving  the  public  thanks  of  the  authorities  of  Chicago. 

If  it  were  not  to  repeat,  in  nearly  the  same  language  in  each 
case,  we  might  donate  several  pages  to  each  city  in  the  Union, 
in  presenting  to  our  readers  the  grand  uprising  of  the  people  in 
this  hour  of  frightful  need. 

Every  city  did  nobly,  and  of  course,  to  a great  extent,  carried 
out  nearly  the  same  programme,  bringing  into  requisition  the 
municipal  governments,  Merchants  Exchanges,  Benevolent  Socie- 
ties, Theatres,  Ladies’  Belief  Societies,  etc. 

As  so  terrible  a catastrophe  tended  to  demoralize  everything, 
and  produce  the  utmost  confusion,  by  request  of  the  Mayor, 
General  Sheridan  assumed  command  of  the  city,  and  through  his 
wise,  prompt,  and  energetic  movements,  brought  harmony  out 
of  discord.  We  give  below  an  order  of  the  general : 

“ Headquarters  of  Military  Division  of  Missouri,  Chicago,  October  12. 
To  his  Honor,  the  Mayor. — The  preservation  of  the  peace  and  good  order  of  the 
city  having  been  intrusted  to  me,  by  your  Honor,  I am  happy  to  state  that  no  case 
of  outbreak  or  disorder  has  been  reported,  that  no  authenticated  attempt  in  incen- 
diarism has  reached  me,  and  that  the  people  of  the  city  are  calm,  quiet,  and  well 
disposed.  The  force  at  my  disposal  is  ample  to  maintain  order  should  it  be  neces- 
sary to  protect  the  district  devastated  by  fire.  Still,  I would  suggest  to  citizens 
not  to  relax  in  their  watchfulness  until  the  smouldering  fires  of  the  burned  build- 
ings are  entirely  extinguished.  P.  H.  SHERIDAN, 

Lieutenant  General. 

HOUSES  OF  WORSHIP. 

As  most  of  the  houses  of  worship  were  destroyed,  and  funds 
called  for  to  rebuild  church  edifices  as  well  as  to  relieve  individ- 
ual cases  of  distress,  an  appeal  was  made  to  the  Churches  in 
all  parts  of  the  union  and  nobly  responded  to. 

At  St.  Patrick’s  Cathedral,  New  York,  the  very  Bev.  Dr. 
Starrs,  Yicar  General,  read  the  following  circular  addressed  to 
the  Catholic  Clergy : 

To  the  Reverend  Pastors  of  Catholic  Churches  in  this  City  . — The  cry  for 
help  which  comes  to  us  in  such  piercing  tones  from  the  thousands  of  our  fellow 
beings  in  Chicago,  seated  amid  the  ashes  of  their  desolated  city,  without  food 
or  shelter,  appeals  so  forcibly  to  every  human  heart,  that  there  is  not  one,  I am 
sure,  having  in  his  power  to  give  relief,  be  it  much,  or  be  it  little,  that  will  not 
promptly  do  so  with  willingness  and  generous  hand.  In  order  that  greater 
facilities  may  be  offered  to  all  the  members  of  our  flock,  for  the  expression  of  a 
great  act  of  Christian  charity,  I hereby  recommend  that  a collection  be  made  in  all 
the  Churches  of  the  city  on  Sunday  after  next,  22d  inst. ; due  announcement 
to  be  made  on  next  Sunday.  The  sums  collected  should  be  sent  immediately  to 
the  chancery  office,  that  they  may  be  remitted  without  delay  to  succor  the 

dKfrPQQpd  ■* 

t JOHN,  Archbishop  of  New  York. 

Given  at  New  York,  this  10th  day  of  October,  1871. 

The  Churches  generally,  throughout  the  country,  did  good 
work  in  this  hour  of  dire  necessity. 


BOOKSELLERS  ROW,  STATE  STREET 


kerfoot’s  block  after  the  fire. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


231 


The  American  Bible  Society  generously  signified  its  intention 
to  supply  all  sufferers  from  the  fire  with  a copy  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  gratuitously. 

Bev.  Dr.  O.  H.  Tiffany’s  Church,  St.  Paul’s,  Newark,  sent 
$1,500.  Mrs.  Tiffany  coming  to  Chicago  to  assist  in  the  distri- 
bution. 

The  Ladies’  Belief  Committee  of  Philadelphia  sent  six  large 
boxes  of  clothing,  and  two  containing  women  and  children’s 
shoes. 

Philadelphia  sent  $500,000  to  Chicago,  and  Quincy,  111., 
$20,000  and  a train  load  of  provisions. 

Quite  a number  of  the  students  at  Yale  College  are  from  Chi- 
cago. One  student  of  the  College  is  said  to  have  lost  $200,000, 
which  he  owned  in  his  own  right,  while  another,  an  orphan,  has 
been  reduced  to  penury  from  opulence. 

Action  of  the  Officials  and  Citizens  of  Washington. 

Washington,  Oct.  11. — The  following  was  telegraphed  to  Boston  to-day,  viz  : 
Executive  Mansion,  Washington,  Oct.  11. 

To  the  Hon.  Samuel  Hooper , Boston,  Mass : 

Would  it  not  be  well  for  the  good  people  of  Boston  to  dispense  with  the  cere- 
mony and  expense  of  a public  reception  on  the  occasion  of  my  visit  to  your  city, 
and  to  appropriate  such  portion  of  the  fund  set  apart  for  that  purpose  as  is  deemed 
advisable  for  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  by  the  Chicago  disaster  ? I am  yours 

U.  S.  GRANT. 

The  following  was  received  here  to-day  : 

Chicago,  Oct.  11. 

To  K D.  Townsend , Adjutant-General,  Washington: 

There  was  some  excitement  here  yesterday  and  last  evening,  but  it  is  now  quiet- 
ing down.  Some  of  the  troops  from  Leavenworth  and  Omaha  are  coming  in.  I 
have  taken  all  the  necessary  steps  to  meet  the  condition  of  affairs  here. 

P.  H.  SHERIDAN. 

Supplies  of  tents  from  Jeffersonville,  Ind,  on  Gen.  Sheridan’s 
requisition,  were  forwarded.  Gen.  Van  Yliet  sent  at  7$  this 
morning  Major  Hodges,  of  the  Quartermaster’s  Department,  in 
charge  of  a special  train  from  Philadelphia,  with  blankets. 
They  will  reach  Chicago  on  Thursday,  and  Gen.  Sheridan  has 
been  advised  that  there  are  more  tents  at  Jeffersonville  at  his 
disposal. 

Every  effort  was  made  at  once  to  prevent  any  delay  in  mails  for 
the  North-west.  George  S.  Bangs,  Superintendent  of  the  Bail- 
way Mail  Service,  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  efficient  Post-office 
men  in  the  country,  reached  Chicago,  and  everything  possible 
was  done  to  reorganize  mail  service  at  once. 

Several  Thousand  dollars  were  raised  to-day  among  the  clerks 
and  employees  of  the  Treasury  and  other  Departments. 

The  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  this  morning,  received  tele- 


232 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


grams  from  London  and  Canada,  inquiring  if  clothing,  blankets, 
&c.,  for  the  people  of  Chicago,  would  be  admitted  free  of  duty. 
The  Secretary  immediately  replied  that  such  goods  would  be 
admitted  free,  and  gave  the  necessary  orders  to  Collectors. 

Acting-Governor  Stanton  issued  a proclamation  convening  the 
Legislative  Assembly  at  once  to  legalize  a loan  of  $100,000 
for  the  relief  of  Chicago.  Twenty-five  thousand  dollars  on  that 
account  was  at  once  forwarded.  The  amount  contributed  in  the 
Post-office  Department,  July  11th,  was  $2,400,  the  Post-master- 
General  and  First- Assistant  Smith  heading  the  list  with  liberal 
. subscriptions.  The  Board  of  Supervising  Inspectors  contributed 
$220,  being  $20  for  each  member  of  the  board.  Various  meas- 
ures were  taken  to  increase  the  subscriptions  by  benevolent 
associations,  churches,  concerts,  theatrical  performances,  <fcc. 
There  seems  little  doubt  that  the  District  of  Columbia  will,  in  the 
aggregate,  contribute  not  less  than  $150,000. 

THE  TYPOGRAPHICAL  UNION. 

At  a Special  meeting  of  the  New  York  Typographical  Union, 
the  sum  of  $2,000  was  appropriated  for  the  relief  of  the  members 
of  the  Chicago  Printers’  Union  who  were  left  destitute  by  the 
fire.  A resolution  was  also  adopted  requesting  the  President  of 
the  National  Typographical  Union  to  call  on  the  subordinate 
Unions  under  his  jurisdiction  to  take  immediate  action  for  the 
relief  of  the  members. 

The  Typographical  Unions  elsewhere  did  their  proportion  of 
Charitable  work,  although  we  have  not  the  data  to  present  to  our 
readers  the  amount,  or  even  an  approximation  to  it,  which  the 
Unions  in  the  country  contributed  in  the  aggregate. 

JUVENILE  GENEROSITY. 

At  one  of  the  schools  in  Pawtucket,  R.  I.,  the  children  were 
given  a recess  to  go  home  and  bring  whatever  wearing  apparel 
they  had  to  spare,  to  be  forwarded  to  the  Chicago  sufferers.  One 
of  the  little  girls  on  going  home  for  her  share,  found  that  her 
mother  had  stepped  out.  Overflowing  with  generosity,  she  con- 
cluded that  it  was  all  right  and  she  would  help  herself.  She 
accordingly  packed  up  all  her  dresses  and  every  other  article  of 
apparel  of  which  she  was  in  possession,  save  those  she  was  wear- 
ing, and  with  a countenance  beaming  with  joy  because  she  deemed 
that  she  had  performed  a praiseworthy  act,  presented  them  to 
the  Committee,  who,  of  course,  packed  them  with  the  rest  and 
sent  them  away. 


GETTING  WATER  FROM  THE  ARTESIAN  WELL. 


' 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


237 


When  the  little  girl’s  mother  came  to  look  for  a change  of 
clothes  for  the  child  after  school,  the  discovery  was  made  of 
what  had  been  done,  when  the  consternation  of  the  family  can 
better  be  immagined  than  described.  The  little  girl,  with  the 
utmost  sang  froid  imaginable,  said  she  “had  been  sent  home  for  the 
clothes  and  guessed  she  wasn’t  going  back  without  them.”  We 
opine  that  the  mother  of  so  generous-hearted  a child  was  not 
herself  deficient  in  kindly  and  charitable  impulses ; and,  there- 
fore, although  put  about  for  the  time  to  obtain  a re-supply,  within 
her  inmost  heart  she  blessed  her  little  darling  for  the  noble  deed. 

Had  a tithe  of  interesting  incidents  like  the  one  just  related 
been  brought  to  light  a volume  much  larger  than  this  could  be 
filled  with  them  alone,  which  would  be  a monument  of  glory  to 
the  nation  that  produced  so  many  angelic  natures,  so  exhalting 
to  humanity  and  so  creditable  to  the  race.  The  pure  gold  will 
show  itself  at  intervals,  the  diamond  will  sometimes  come  to  the 
light  and  display  its  luster,  though  hidden  for  years. 

RELIEF  SOCIETIES. 

Hundreds  of  Belief  Societies  were  specially  improvised  in 
every  part  of  the  country,  all  doing  noble  and  efficient  work. 
During  the  week  of  the  fire  meetings  were  called  in  nearly  all  the 
churches  to  take  action  in  regard  to  the  sufferers  ; and,  on  the 
following  Sunday,  nearly  all  the  pastors  of  churches  in  the  land 
delivered  sermons  upon  the  unprecedented  calamity,  some  of 
which  were  eloquent  in  the  extreme ; nearly  all  breathing  the 
true  spirit  of  benevolence,  and  giving  an  earnest  exhortation  to 
their  congregations  to  give  liberally  to  those  so  suddenly  re- 
duced from  affluent  and  comfortable  circumstances  to  penury. 
To  the  credit  of  their  hearers  those  appeals  were  responded  to 
majestically,  and  large  sums  of  money  were  raised  in  the 
churches.  In  addition  to  the  money  raised  for  general  relief 
the  churches  took  action  in  regard  to  relieving  the  distresses  of 
individual  members  of  their  respective  denominations  who  were 
in  want,  and  too  sensitive  to  make  their  wants  known  to  the 
General  Committee. 

HONOR  TO  THE  LADIES. 

The  ladies,  ever  foremost  where  real  suffering  demand  their 
symathy  and  attention,  promptly  formed  Belief  Societies,  within 
and  outside  of  their  church  organizations,  and  solicited  donations 


238 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


of  money,  clothing,  bedding, and  every  other  article  which  could  be 
forwarded  to,  or  used,  in  the  ill-fated  city.  They  also  contributed 
and  solicited  donations  of  different  materials  to  be  made  up,  and 
with  their  sewing  machines  and  dexterous  fingers,  soon  converted 
them  into  wearing  apparel  for  men,  women  and  children,  or  into 
articles  of  bedding,  which  by  their  own  committees  were  speedily 
dispatched  by  rail ; and,  in  some  instances,  brave  and  philanthro- 
pic women  left  the  comforts  of  home  to  assist  for  days  in  the 
distribution  of  those  articles,  to  those  they  deemed  most  deserv- 
ing and  needy.  A more  sublime  spectacle  of  true  charity  was 
never  before  enacted  in  so  brief  a space  of  time. 

The  outpouring  of  money,  food  of  every  description,  and  every 
nameable  article  of  human  necessity, was  inconceivably  enormous. 
It  was  indeed  a magnificent  display  of  generosity.  There  was 
something  grand,  magestic,  almost  God-like,  in  it.  The  fire  was 
mighty  in  its  devastation,  but  the  people  of  the  country,  mightier 
still,  in  the  marvelous  promptitude  and  rapidity  with  which  they 
furnished  and  forwarded  the  grand  relief. 

A STRIKING  INCIDENT  OF  GENEROSITY. 

The  following,  individual  case,  so  beautifully  exemplifies  true 
charity  and  large-heartedness  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Hudson  and 
his  wife,  that  although  they  may  not  thank  us  for  thus  publicly 
using  their  names,  we  feel  impelled,  in  justice  to  true  benevo- 
lence, to  thus  far  offer  our  tribute  of  appreciation  for  their  gen- 
erous deeds: 

E.  A.  Snively,  of  the  Macoupin  Enquirer,  has  this  story  concerning  Ed.  Hud- 
son and  the  Chicago  fire  : 

A day  or  two  before  leaving  Peoria,  we  heard  a good  one  on  Mr.  Ed.  Hudson, 
superintendent  of  the  P.  P.  & J.  Kailroad  and  a gentleman  well  known  to  railroad 
men.  Upon  hearing  of  the  burning  of  Chicago,  his  first  act  was  to  telegraph  to 
all  agents  to  transport  free  all  provisions  for  Chicago,  and  to  receive  such  articles 
to  the  exclusion  of  freight.  He  then  purchased  a number  of  good  hams  and  sent 
them  home  with  a request  to  his  wife  to  cook  them  as  soon  as  possible,  so  they 
might  be  sent  to  Chicago.  He  then  ordered  the  baker  to  put  up  fifty  loaves  of 
bread.  He  was  kept  busy  during  the  day  until  five  o’clock.  Just  as  he  was  start- 
ing for  home  the  baker  informed  him  that  the  hundred  loaves  of  bread  were  ready. 

“But  I only  ordered  fifty,”  said  Ed. 

“ Mrs.  Hudson  also  ordered  fifty,”  said  the  baker. 

“ All  right,”  said  Ed.,  and  he  inwardly  blessed  his  wife  for  the  generous  deed. 

Arriving  at  home  he  found  his  little  boy  dressed  in  a fine  cloth  suit,  carrying  in 
wood.  He  told  him  that  would  not  do,  he  must  change  his  clothes. 

“But  mother  sent  all  my  clothes  to  Chicago,”  replied  the  boy. 

Entering  the  house  he  found  his  wife  clad  in  a fine  silk  dress,  superintending 
the  cooking.  A remark  in  regard  to  the  matter  elicited  the  information  that  she 
had  sent  her  other  dresses  to  Chicago. 

The  matter  was  getting  serious.  He  sat  down  to  a supper  without  butter,  be- 
cause all  that  could  be  purchased  had  been  sent  to  Chicago.  There  were  no 
pickles — the  poor  souls  in  Chicago  would  relish  them  so  much. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


239 


A little  “ put  out,”  but  not  a bit  angry  or  disgusted,  Ed.  went  to  the  wardrobe 
to  get  his  overcoat,  but  it  was  not  there.  An  interrogatory  revealed  the  fact  that 
It  fitted  the  box  real  well,  and  he  needed  a new  overcoat  any  way,  although  he  had 
paid  $50  for  the  one  in  question  only  a few  days  before.  An  examination  revealed 
that  all  the  rest  of  the  clothes  fitted  the  box  real  nicely,  for  not  a “ dud  ” did  he 
possess  except  those  he  had  on. 

While  he  admired  the  generosity  of  his  wife,  he  thought  the  matter  was  getttng 
^ltirely  too  personal,  and  he  turned  to  her  with  the  characteristic  inquiry  : 

“Do  you  think  we  can  stand  an  “ encore ” on  that  Chicago  fire  ?” 

But  this  generous  sympathy  in  this  sudden  affliction  was  not 
^ confined  to  the  United  States.  The  neighboring  provinces  of 
the  British  Dominions  were  equally  liberal,  their  people  sending 
out  donations  in  great  abundance,  of  every  description.  Army 
tents  and  blankets  in  large  numbers  were  supplied  by  order  of 
the  home  government.  Meetings  were  also  promptly  held  in 
London  and  other  cities  of  Great  Britain,  and  in  all  prominent 
cities  over  Europe,  and  large  amounts  of  money  subscribed.  The 
British  People  responded  liberally,  nobly,  grandly ; for  which 
the  American  people  will  ever  hold  them  in  kind  and  grateful 
remembrance. 

EFFECT  OF  THE  NEWS  IN  ENGLAND — ACTIVE  MEASURES  TAKEN  FOR 
THE  RELIEF  OF  THE  SUFFERERS. 

London,  Oct  11. — The  chief  topic  of  interest  here  in  all  cir- 
cles, is  the  calamity  which  has  overtaken  Chicago.  At  Clubs, 
exchanges,  news-rooms,  in  the  parlors  of  hotels,  everywhere 
where  men  were  assembled,  the  appalling  disaster  was  talked 
about,  and  the  brief  account  transmitted  through  the  cables  dis- 
cussed. At  first  the  telegrams  were  regarded  as  greatly  exagger- 
ated ; but  as  each  succeeding  dispatch  confirmed  and  increased 
the  extent  of  the  losses,  and  private  advices  began  to  be  re- 
ceived, a feeling  of  deep  sympathy  was  aroused,  and  a desire 
was  manifested  to  contribute  in  some  effective  manner  to  the  re- 
lief of  the  sufferers.  This  disposition  was  quickly  directed  to 
the  proper  channel  by  prominent  gentlemen  and  firms  opening 
subscription  lists  and  volunteering  to  receive  and  forward  con- 
tributions. Hon.  Hugh  McCulloch,  J.  S.  Morgan  & Co.,  and 
other  American  bankers,  were  among  the  first  to  take  active 
measures  in  this  behalf. 

At  Liverpool  a Committee  was  organized  and  dispatched  a 
cargo  of  food  and  clothing. 

Mr.  Schenck,  the  United  States  Minister,  issued  an  invitation 
to  all  Americans  in  and  near  London  to  meet  at  the  Langham 


m 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


Hotel  for  tlie  purpose  of  organizing  relief  committees.  Gen. 
Adam  Badeau,  the  United  States  Consul-General,  sent  a circular 
to  all  the  Consuls  and  consular  agents  within  his  jurisdiction, 
requesting  their  active  aid  and  participation  in  the  work  of  collect- 
ting  and  forwarding  contributions  from  their  respective  territories. 

The  Times  had  a leader  on  the  subject,  deploring  the  fire,  and 
hoping  the  dispatches  magnified  the  loss  ; expressing  faith  in  the 
energy  of  Americans,  and  in  the  resources  of  Chicago,  and  ear- 
nestly wishing  that  the  unfortunate  city  and  its  suffering  inhabi- 
tants might  promptly  recover  from  the  effects  of  the  disaster. 

Other  journals  made  the  same  topic  prominent.  Several  of 
them  recalled  the  munificence  of  America  to  the  starving  people 
of  Lancaster,  and  declared  that  Englishmen  must  not  only  repay 
that  generous  kindness,  but  must  aid  to  restore  the  city  which 
has  been  regarded  as  a monument  of  American  enterprise. 

The  English  papers,  immediately  after  the  fire,  came  to  us  with 
copious  accounts  of  sympathetic  meetings  held  in  the  principal 
cities  of  the  United  Kingdom. 

Birmingham  was  the  first  in  the  field,  and,  while  the  flames 
were  still  ravaging  the  unfortunate  Garden  city,  held  a meeting 
in  their  splendid  Town  Hall,  presided  over  by  the  Mayor,  at- 
tended by  a large  number  of  the  most  public  spirited  citizens. 

The  generous  action  of  the  meeting  was  moved  by  Mr.  Good- 
man, and  seconded  by  Mr.  Gem.  Gems  of  goodness  they  certainly 
displayed,  and  they  have  scintillated  across  the  board  Atlantic, 
and  sparkle  still  with  such  brilliancy  that  there  is  no  probability 
that  their  luster  will  fade,  or  their  light  cease  to  illuminate  the 
paths  of  humanity,  so  long  as  the  world  stands.  Such  gems  of 
goodness,  more  precious  a hundred-fold,  than  diamonds  of  the 
first  water,  are  rich  jewels  upon  the  brow  of  our  sister  nation — 
or,  perhaps,  more  endearing,  our  mother  country — and  will  draw 
and  bind  us  to  her  with  an  indissoluble  tie. 

On  the  11th  of  Oct.,  the  Home  Government  sent  a cable  dis- 
patch to  the  authorities  in  Canada,  to  offer  to  Chicago  all  the 
military  tents  and  blankets  in  the  Dominion. 

The  subscriptions  throughout  the  kingdom  were  very  exten- 
sive, and  evinced  the  earliest  and  most  generous  and  sympathet- 
ic feelings  of  the  English  people  toward  the  people  of  the  ill- 
fated  city,  and,  in  fact,  toward  the  entire  people  of  the  country. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  241 

THE  CAPITAL  OF  THE  GERMAN  EMPIRE  CONTRIBUTE  $25,000  TO 
THE  CHICAGO  SUFFERERS — INTERESTING  CORRESPONDENCE 
BETWEEN  U.  S.  CONSUL  KREISMANN  AND  MAYOR  MASON. 

The  German  people  responded  also  in  a generous  manner,  large 
sums  having  been  raised  and  promptly  forwarded.  We  append 
the  following : 

On  the  17th  of  October,  only  eight  days  after  the  great  fire, 
Messrs.  Hardt  & Co.,  of  New  York  city,  forwarded  to  Mayor 
Mason,  of  Chicago,  their  draft  for  $15,000,  contributed  by  the 
people  of  Berlin,  Prussia,  in  aid  of  the  sufferers  by  the  fire.  This 
splendid  gift  was  duly  acknowledged  by  Mayor  Mason  in  a letter 
to  the  Chairman  of  the  Chicago  Belief  Committee  at  Berlin,  as 
was  also  the  subsequent  donation  of  $10,000  more  from  the  same 
source.  Still  later  the  following  letter  was  received  from  the 
United  States  Consul  at  Berlin  : 

Berlin,  Oct.  20,  1871. 

To  His  Honor  the  Mayor  of  the  City  of  Chicago  : 

Sir  : The  appalling  calamity  that  has  befallen  our  beloved  Chicago,  involving 
such  destruction  of  use  and  beauty,  of  commerce,  civilization  and  progress,  as  has 
never  been  recorded  in  human  annals,  has  awakened  earnest  and  genuine  sympa- 
thy throughout  all  Germany.  The  burning  of  our  great  and  beautiful  city,  the 
grandest  and  most  conspicuous  monument  of  the  genius  and  enterprise  of  the 
American  people,  under  free  and  liberal  institutions  and  government,  is  justly 
considered  a national,  not  a mere  local  calamity.  It  is  felt  that  a long  and  cruel 
train  of  horrors  and  sufferings  must  follow  the  awful  destruction  that  has  swept 
over  the  ill-fated  city ; and  everywhere  funds  have  been  and  are  being  raised  for  the 
relief  of  the  vast  necessities  of  your  destitute  and  stricken  people.  Being  one  of 
your  citizens,  allied  to  Chicago  by  many  associations  of  public  services  and  friend- 
ship, and  glorying  in  its  marvelous  growth,  prosperity  and  splendor,  the  horror  of 
the  announcement  of  its  sudden  destruction  by  fire  unspeakably  shocked  and 
overwhelmed  me  ; but  feeling  that  I must  do  whatever  little  there  might  be  in  my 
power  toward  aiding  and  assisting  my  fellow  citizens  in  their  dire  distress,  I 
promptly  took  steps  to  organize  a relief  committee  here,  and,  thanks  to  the  ready 
response  to  my  appeals,  we  have  thus  far  given  orders  to  Messrs.  Hardt  & Co. , of 
New  York,  to  pay  to  your  order  the  sum  of  $25,000,  which  the  committee  trust 
you  have  promptly  received. 

Among  the  contributors  to  the  fund  are  found  the  Emperor  and  Empress,  the 
Queen  Dowager,  and  the  Crown  Prince  and  Crown  Princess.  The  Empress,  to 
quote  the  language  of  the  letters  transmitting  me  the  donations,  given  in  “ grate- 
ful remembrance  of  the  sympathy  displayed  by  America  during  the  late  war,”  and 
the  Crown  Prince  and  Crown  Princess  ’‘in  grateful  acknowledgement  of  the 
friendly  feelings  which  America  most  efficiently  manifested  for  the  German  war- 
riors during  the  conflict  with  France,  and  in  heartfelt  sympathy  for  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Chicago  smitten  by  terrible  misfortune.” 

Our  collections  are  still  going  on  and  promise  additional  results.  To  enable  the 
committee  to  properly  account  to  the  contributors  for  the  sums  received,  I am 
directed  to  respectfully  ask  your  Honor  to  make  suitable  acknowledgement  of  the 
receipt  of  the  amounts  transmitted  to  you  from  Berlin.  In  the  meantime  we  all 
here  feel  that  the  people  of  Chicago,  though  grievously  tried,  and  well  nigh  over- 
come, have  not  and  will  not  lose  hope  and  heart,  and  with  the  help  of  God,  and 
by  their  undaunted  courage,  enterprise,  skill,  and  energy,  will  rebuild  and  restore 
their  city  to  even  greater  wealth,  usefulness  and  splendor — a consumation  most 
fervently  to  be  desired  and  hoped  for.  I have  the  honor  to  be,  sir,  your  obedient 
servant.  * 

H.  Kreismann,  United  States  Consul. 


212 


THROUGH  THE  FLASHES  AND  BEYOND. 


Chicago,  Nov.  21, 1871. 

H.  Kreismann,  United  States  Consul,  Berlin  : 

Sib  : Your  letter  of  October  26,  advising  me  of  the  remittance  to  Messrs.  Hardt 
& Co.,  of  New  York,  of  $25,00C  from  the  Belief  Committee  of  Berlin  for  the  use  of 
the  destitute  of  Chicago,  is  duly  received.  On  the  21st  of  October  I acknowledged 
to  Messrs.  Hardt  & Co.,  and  to  the  Berlin  committee,  the  receipt  of  $15,000  of  the 
above  sum,  and  on  the  2nd  of  this  month  acknowledgment  was  made  of  the  re- 
maining $10,000.  For  this  proof  of  the  active  sympathy  of  the  people  of  Berlin  for 
those  wrho  were  almost  ready  to  perish,  permit  us  to  offer  you,  on  their  behalf, 
most  heart-felt  gratitude.  The  unprecedented  calamity  of  the  8th  and  0th  of 
October,  which  stripped  100,000  people  of  all  their  worldly  possessions,  has  still 
left  upon  the  books  of  the  Belief  Society  (which  has  now  the  management  of  this 
great  charity)  not  less  than  seventy-five  thousand  men,  women  and  children, 
dependent  for  their  daily  bread,  for  shelter,  and  sufficient  clothing,  upon  public 
charity.  To  care  for  this  multitude,  with  any  efficiency  would  have  been  utterly 
impossible  but  for  the  generous  sympathy  and  aid  which  this  calamity  has  called 
forth  from  all  parts  of  the  civilized  -world.  This  wide  spread  beneficence,  it  is 
hoped,  will  help  us  to  carry  the  people  through  the  long  winter  before  us  without 
essential  suffering  ; and  your  Belief  Committee,  will  understand  how  thankfully 
their  large  contribution  is  received.  A very  large  proportion  of  the  sufferers  by 
the  fire  are  Germans,  who,  especially,  will  be  deeply  sensible  of  the  kind  exertions 
of  yourself  and  the  other  members  of  the  committee  to  relieve  their  excessive 
wants.  I remain,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant. 

B.  B.  Mason,  Mayor, 

The  Empress  Augusta  of  Germany,  contributed  a thousand 
thalurs  ($800)  for  the  relief  of  the  Chicago  sufferers. 

the  Chinamen’s  contributions  for  Chicago. 

The  San  Erancisco,  Alta  says  that  when  the  Committee  in 
that  city  to  solicit  contributions  from  the  Chinese  merchants  for 
the  relief  of  the  Chicago  sufferers  made  known  the  object  of  their 
visit  the  response  was  a credit  to  the  representatives  of  that  race, 
who  have  been  treated  with  indignity  on  so  many  occasions,  and 
are  liable  at  any  time  to  be  assaulted  when  passing  through  the 
streets.  In  one  case  an  intelligent  merchant  said  to  the  collect- 
ors : “ Me  leadee  in  Alta,  Melican  man  town  all  same  hap  gone 

— burnee  up.  Melican  man  wantee  dollas ; some  time  poor 
Melican  man  strikee  Chinaman  with  blicks  ; Chinaman  no  care. 
Alle  people  Chicago  losee  everything — wifee  and  childlen  burn 
out.  Chinamen  say  alle  same  my  eountree  peoplee — wantee 
help.  How  mucliee  dollas  you  wantee  ? Hundled  dollas  ? Allee 
light ; you  not  find  enough  money  commee  again,  give  another 
hundled.”  The  contributions  thus  given  by  the  merchants 
reached  $1,200.  Not  bad  for  the  “ Heathen  Chinee.” 

CHICAGO  RELIEF  AND  AID  SOCIETY. 

In  order  to  facilitate  and  judiciously  distribute  donations  for 
{he  relief  of  the  sufferers,  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society 
was  formed  at  once.  Wirt  Dexter  being  made  chairman,  and 


■ ;■ 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


245 


Geo.  M.  Pullman,  treasurer.  The  society  did  noble  and  efficient 
work;  and,  through  its  instrumentality,  donations  from  abroad 
were  no  doubt  more  properly,  beneficially,  and  satisfactorily 
divided.  This  society  had  its  various  committees  which  co- 
operated with  the  committees  for  distribution  from  abroad,  and 
generally  working  with  great  cordiality  and  harmony  ; all  con- 
scientiously laboring  to  relieve  the  distresses  of  those  around 
them,  which  was  nobly  done  by  the  prompt  collection  and  dis- 
bursement of  $2,051,023,56,  with  arrangements  for  extending 
this  munificent  sum  to  $3,000,000.  This  includes  the  funds  in 
the  hands  of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  amounting 
to  about  $600,000,  and  the  balance  of  the  Boston  fund,  about 
$240,000,  both  amounting  to  $840,000  not  yet  placed  to  the 
credit  of  this  Society,  but  which  may  undoubtedly  be  relied  upon 
to  meet  the  demands  of  the  future.  As  to  our  disbursements, 
we  can  only  say  that  we  are  at  present  aiding  60,000  people  at 
regular  distributing  points.  Some  of  this  vast  number  we  re- 
lieve in  part  only,  but  the  greater  portion  to  the  extent  of  their 
entire  support.  This  is  in  addition  to  the  work  of  the  special 
Belief  Committee  for  people  who  ought  to  be  sent  to  the  gen- 
eral distributing  points,  and  which  is  largely  increasing  upon  our 
hands.  It  is  only  in  addition  to  the  expenditures  of  the  com- 
mittee on  existing  charitable  institutions. 

The  great  matter  pressing  upon  the  committee  is  shelter  for 
the  coming  winter.  We  may  feed  people  during  the  mild 
weather,  but  where  and  how  they  are  to  be  housed — perma- 
nently housed — we  regard  as  the  serious  question.  To  this  end 
we  have  been  aiding  those  burned  out  to  replace  comfortable 
houses  upon  their  own,  or  leased  lots,  where  they  can  live,  not 
only  this  winter,  but  next  summer,  and  be  ready  to  work  in  re- 
building the  city.  Of  these  houses — which  are  really  very  com- 
fortable, being  16  by  20  feet,  with  two  rooms,  one  12  by  16  feet, 
and  one  8 by  16  feet,  with  a planed  and  matched  floor,  panel 
doors,  and  good  windows — we  have  already  furnished  over 
4,000,  making  permanent  homes,  allowing  five  for  a family,  for 
20,000  people,  and  with  the  7,000  houses  which  we  expect  to 
build,  shall  have  homes  for  35,000  people.  These  houses  and 
some  barracks,  in  both  of  which  there  is  a moderate  outfit  of 
furniture,  such  as  stoves,  mattresses,  and  a little  crockery,  will 
consume  $1,250,000,  leaving  $2,200,009,  with  which  to  meet  all 


246  THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 

the  demands  for  food,  fuel,  clothing,  and  general  expenses,  from 
the  13th  of  October  last. 

By  this  statement  we  see  the  gigantic  proportions  of  the  work 
in  which  they  were  all  engaged.  That  they  conscientiously  and 
faithfully  performed  their  work  there  is  no  question.  That  the^ 
have  been  misrepresented  and  slandered,  while  doing  theii 
utmost  for  the  good  of  the  sufferers,  is  but  the  usual  fate  of  true 
philanthropists;  and  we  rejoice  that,  notwithstanding  they  have 
received  abuses,  which,  in  nearly,  if  not  every  case,  were  entirely 
unjust,  they  have  pursued  their  work  with  an  eye  single  to  the 
great  object  before  them,  trusting  to  the  future,  to  set  their  work 
and  motives  in  the  true  light.  As  this  Society  is  composed  of 
high-minded,  honorable,  and  competent  men,  whose  reputation 
is  dear  to  them,  and  who  have  undertaken  this  responsible  and 
Herculean  task  voluntarily,  working  night  and  day  to  relieve  the 
distressed,  the  public  outside  of  Chicago  may  rely  implicitly 
upon  their  faithfully  and  justly  performing  their  whole  duty ; 
and  performing  it  as  well  as  it  can  be  done  by  human  instruments 
until  their  work  is  accomplished.  Their  ability  to  do  the  work 
before  them  is  undoubted.  Of  their  integrity  there  is  no  ques- 
tion. Some  of  the  instruments  they  at  first  used  in  their  mighty 
work  no  doubt  were  worthless  and  worse  than  worthless ; but 
experience  corrected  such  mistakes. 

This  Society  established  depots  in  different  districts  of  the  city 
for  the  reception  of  supplies,  that  they  might  distribute  them  to 
the  needy  with  more  facility.  There  was  also  a special  relief 
Committee,  doing  their  whole  duty. 

CHARITY  OF  THE  RIGHT  STRIPE — WOMAN’S  INDUSTRIAL  AID  SOCIETY. 

Some  of  the  ladies  and  gentlemen  connected  with  the  various 
Churches  of  Chicago  effected  an  organization  to  give  relief,  by 
light  and  agreeable  employment,  to  women  and  children  who 
had  become  straightened  in  their  circumstances  by  the  fire,  but 
who  prefered  to  acquire  subsistence  by  their  labor,  rather  than  by 
the  charity  of  others.  This  common  sense,  timely,  and  excellent 
movement,  was  inaugurated  on  the  28th  of  October,  at  the  old 
building,  widely  known  as  St.  John’s  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  Union  Park.  No  Society  was  ever  organized  in  Chi- 
cago so  unselfish  and  devoid  of  sectarianism  as  this.  Its  plat- 
form broad  enough  for  all  to  stand  upon.  The  means  of  sus- 


\ 


■I 

. ' 


. 


. 


X 


■ - — < - * , , • 7 

- 


- 

. 


■ 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS.  249 

taining  it  was  ample ; the  room  well  fitted  for  the  purpose,  and 
the  superintendents  overflowing  with  kindness. 

Thousands  of  cultivated  and  refined  women  were  thrown 
out  of  employment  by  the  burning  of  stores,  offices,  and  factories, 
and  this  society  provided  the  means  to  enable  them  to  still  earn 
a livelihood,  without  being  subjected  to  the  humiliation  of  re- 
ceiving charity.  Many  women  who  were  heretofore  obliged  to 
work  at  starvation  prices,  to  the  shame  of  their  employers,  were 
by  the  aid  of  this  Society  able  to  earn  remunerative  prices. 
The  Work  of  the  relief  society  is  enormous,  extending  over  many 
miles,  and  in  all  its  departments  embracing  from  50,000  to  75,000 
people. 

MISS  BARTON  AND  CHICAGO. 

Miss  Barton,  who  has  done  so  much  for  the  suffering  and  help- 
less ones  in  this  and  the  old  world,  but  who  was  in  Paris,  France, 
when  our  fearful  conflagration  took  place,  wrote  a letter  full  of 
sympathy  and  consolation. 

Few  persons  better  comprehend  the  terrible  situation  or  would 
be  more  competent  to  labor  in  this  needful  yet  noble  work.  Our 
people  remember  with  pride  and  lasting  gratitude  the  good  work 
she  did  in  the  field  and  in  the  hospitals  during  our  terrible  war  ; 
and  since  the  conflict  of  arms  between  France  and  Prussia,  Miss 
Barton  has  often  been  heard  of  at  Strasbourg,  Metz,  and  Paris. 
In  a letter  from  Paris,  upon  the  receipt  of  the  awful  news  from 
Chicago,  she  says : 

“ My  soul  was  darkened  and  my  heart  wrung  by  the  intelli- 
gence. For  the  last  twelve  months  I have  stood  only  in  the 
ashes  of  burned  and  destroyed  cities,  working  among  the  shelter- 
less, naked,  and  starving  inhabitants.  In  Strasbourg  I found 

20.000  people  without  a roof,  or  bread,  or  fire,  or  clothes,  or  work. 
I worked  with  them  until  all  were  housed  and  clothed.  Forty 
thousand  warm  garments  were  made  by  their  own  hands,  and 
they  were  saved  from  beggary.  When  I entered  Metz  I found 

40.000  people  too  weak  to  riot.  They  stared  vacantly,  tottered, 
and  fell,  like  old  men  and  women,  or  little  children.  Seven 
months  after  this,  when  I stood  among  the  smoking  piles  and 
vaults  of  Paris,  and  its  twice  ruined  thousands,  I felt  it  was  time 
I found  an  end  of  such  scenes  and  such  labors.  I thought  I had 
learned  my  lesson.” 

The  appalling  news  of  a greater  calamity  than  all  these  having 
reached  her,  the  whole  promptings  of  her  sympathetic  nature 


250 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


again  tell  her  she  must  do  and  dare  still  longer  for  suffering 
humanity. 

Her  services  are  promptly  offered  to  our  citizens,  if  needed. 
Just  now  the  people  of  Chicago  are  tolerably  comfortable,  owing 
to  the  large-heartedness  and  noble  generosity  of  the  people  every- 
where throughout  the  country.  But  a long,  cold,  dreary  winter 
is  before  them,  and  if  charities  are  not  constantly  kept  up,  before 
Spring  there  will  be  sufferings  beyond  all  computation.  Food 
is  abundant  in  the  West  and  very  cheap,  comparatively  speaking, 
and  if  the  Belief  Committees  judiciously  expend  the  monies  at 
their  disposal,  probably  there  is  no  necessity  of  any  persons  suf- 
fering from  hunger.  The  greatest  needs  are  comfortable  shelter, 
clothing,  and  fuel.  These  must  all  be  provided  for  thousands 
until  next  June,  when  the  milder  weather  will  naturally  relieve 
many  necessities.  It  is  the  work  of  this  nation,  to  see  that  all 
these  things  are  amply  supplied.  Everybody  can  help  some. 
Miss  Barton,  possessing  knowledge,  and  having  had  experience 
in  this  particular  line,  far  beyond  nearly  all  others,  her  services 
would  be  of  the  greatest  value  in  organizing  and  conducting  a 
grand  system  of  benevolence  having  for  its  task  the  feeding, 
clothing  and  housing  of  thousands  of  men,  women  and  children 
for  many  long  and  cheerless  weeks.  By  all  means,  she  and  all 
other  noble  philanthropists  like  her,  should  be  cordially  and 
thankfully  invited  to  help  the  good,  though  arduous  work.  There 
is  no  estimating  the  worth  of  the  grand  sympathies  and  glorious 
charities  which  this  awful  calamity  has  developed  not  only  in 
this  country,  but  all  over  Europe. 

PERSONAL. 

Robert  Collyer,  the  celebrated  and  brave  Chicago  preacher,  whom  the  fire 
left  nothing  but  his  courage  and  his  opportunities,  says  he  don’t  know 
anything  about  the  story  that  the  students  of  Cornell  University  have 
invited  him  to  make  a “ first  class  horse  shoe,”  for  which  they  will  pay 
him  $2,000,  the  money  to  go  to  relieve  the  Chicago  sufferers  or  towards  the 
building  of  a new  Unity  Church.  He  seems  to  wish  it  were  true,  however, 
as  must  all  his  friends,  and  says  : 

*‘I  write  this  to  stop  the  thing  if  it  be  bogus,  or  to  hurry  it  along  if  it 
be  real ; because  I am  now  ready  to  go  to  work  right  off  at  the  price  named, 
and  when  I have  made  one  shoe  for  the  Cornell  boys,  price  $2,000,  and 
got  the  money  into  the  treasury  of  the  Relief  and  Aid  Society,  I will  re- 
duce my  price  one-half  and  make  as  many  more  as  the  whole  world  has  a 
mind  to  order,  and  apply  the  whole  income  of  the  same  to  rebuilding  first 
my  church  and  then  my  home.  ” There  is  a chance  that  Collyer’s  horse 
shoes  may  be  in  demand. 


TUB  REV.  MR,  CORLYEE  PREACHING  ON  THE  SITE  OF  HIS  CHURCH  AFTER  THE  EIRE 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


253 


TOUCHING  WORDS  OF  THANKS. 

ONE  OF  THE  BABIES  BORN  ON  THE  PRAIRIE. 

Mr.  John  A.  Nolan,  formerly  of  Boston,  writes  to  Mr.  O.  W.  Newcomb, 
of  that  city,  as  follows  : 

“ My  Dear  Friend. — You  doubtless  think  of  my  family  and  self  as  dead. 
I am  happy  to  inform  you  that  my  wife  and  my  babe  are  now  welL  Our 
little  daughter  (our  first  born)  was  born  in  Lincoln  Park  on  Sunday  morn- 
ing, the  8th  inst.  I made  a home  of  my  coat,  a sheet  that  a neighbor 
kindly  loaned  me,  and  a high  hat  that  I picked  up  near  our  location.  We 
were  boarding  at  the  Sherman  House,  but  had  to  flee  and  leave  everything. 
I was  even  left  without  my  hat. 

“ God  bless  the  Boston  folks!  and  but  for  a warm  bed  and  clothing  from 
your  noble  city,  my  wife  would  now  have  been  dead.  A pair  of  blankets 
from  Boston  was  brought  to  us  in  our  hour  of  peril,  thus  saving  the  life  of 
my  wife  and  little  one.  How  acceptable  the  food  has  been,  too  ; but  hun- 
dreds about  us  have  nearly  died  from  over  eating,  as  well  as  from  exposure. 
The  first  thing  I got  to  eat  was  a ‘Boston  cracker.*  I enjoyed  it  better 
than  I ever  enjoyed  a dinner.  I had  a little  money  in  my  vest  pocket, 
which  will  keep  us  a long  while.  We  have  a tent  now,  and  are  very  comfor- 
table, and  should  be  perfectly  happy  if  we  only  knew  the  fate  of  our  dear 
mother,  who  is  missing.  I presume  we  never  shall. 

“ I trust  you  will  pardon  the  writing,  for  it  is  accomplished  under  many 
difficulties.  We  shall  always  bless  your  people  for  their  great  kindness. 
Three  cheers  went  up  for  Boston  from  our  little  crowd  last  night.  A little 
bundle  of  baby  clothes  was  brought  to  us  last  night,  with  a label:  “From 
the  Christian  Union  of  Boston.”  In  the  bundle  was  everything,  even  to  a 
nursing  bottle,  a very  acceptable  article,  which  we  were  obliged  to  use. 
God  bless  the  hands  that  did  up  that  bundle;  a mother  must  have  done  it. 
We  call  our  baby  Eva  Boston,  and  we  hope  she  may  grow  up  to  bless  the 
donors  of  the  first  outfit. 

GEN.  P.  H.  SHERIDAN. 

The  following  notice  being  given  in  the  New  York  Herald,  so 
just  to  a brave  and  efficient  officer  whose  promptness  is  one  of 
his  chief  characteristics,  with  pleasure  we  make  room  for  it  in 
this  volume : 

In  the  terrible  ordeal  through  which  the  ill-fated  city  of  Chicago  has 
just  passed,  there  appeared  one  man,  at  least,  who,  while  the  fiery  tide 
swept  over  the  city,  was  calm,  collected,  and  self-controlled  amid  the  ex- 
citement prevailing  all  around  him.  That  man  was  General  Sheridan. 
As  at  Winchester  he  arrived  in  time  to  rally  his  army  and  infuse  spirit  in 
his  retiring  soldiers  to  renew  the  struggle  which  secured  them  a glorious 
victory,  so  his  presence  at  Chicago,  when  the  city  was  wrapped  in  flames, 
had  the  effect  of  inspiring  the  almost  despairing  citizens  with  the  hope 
that  all  was  not  yet  lost.  Self-controlled,  determined,  and  vigilant,  the 
hero  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley  played  a part  in  battling  with  the  flames  in 
the  Garden  City  of  the  West,  which  will  add  to  his  renown  and  cause  his 
name  to  be  still  more  warmly  cherished  in  the  memory  of  his  countrymen. 
With  his  handful  of  men  he  accomplished  wonders.  Fighting  fire  with 
fire,  destroying  to  prevent  greater  destruction,  blowing  up  buddings,  the 
ruins  of  which  were  to  serve  as  barricades  against  the  fast  consuming 
flames,  General  Sheridan  contested  every  inch  of  its  advance.  As  if  Heaven 
itself  smiled  on  the  resoluteness  with  which  the  brave  soldier  fought  for 
the  safety  of  the  homes  of  the  unfortunate  Chicagoans,  it  let  fall  copious 
torrents  of  rain  to  aid  the  stragglers,  and  thus  the  conflagration  was  stayed, 
But  the  labors  of  the  soldier  were  not  ended.  Thousands  of  homeless 
men,  women,  and  children,  were  without  a place  to  lay  their  heads  and 


254 


THEOUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


without  food  to  appease  the  cravings  of  hunger.  For  a second  time  did 
Sheridan’s  thoughtfulness  and  army  experience  come  to  the  rescue.  The 
tents  and  army  rations  provided  through  his  forethought  afforded  shelter 
and  food  for  the  sufferers.  This  temporary  relief  bridged  over  the  interim 
between  the  first  effects  of  the  terrible  calamity  and  the  reception  of  the 
first  bounteous  offerings  of  the  people  of  the  whole  nation ; who  have 
never  yet  been  deaf  to  the  appeals  of  suffering  or  misfortune. 

INSUBANCE  COMPANIES. 

Although  heavily  taxed,  with  commendable  rivalry  they 
telegraphed  from  every  part  of  the  country  assurances  of  their 
solvency,  and  determination  to  pay  every  dollar  to  those  hold- 
ing policies  ; alas,  the  only  thing  left  to  thousands,  who,  but  a 
few  days  before,  were  estimated  to  be  immensely  wealthy.  All 
the  great  companies,  immediately  commenced  to  settle  up,  and 
assured  the  people  of  Chicago  that  all  liabilities  would  be  paid 
as  quickly  as  they  could  possibly  be  adjusted. 

Of  course,  many  insurance  companies,  in  and  outside  of 
Chicago,  by  their  enormous  liabilities  were  obliged  to  suspend 
business. 

The  following  wall  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  enormous 
losses  of  the  Insurance  companies,  summing  up  about  $90,000,000. 

The  Insurance  Spectator  on  the  10th  of  Nov.  issued  a table  showing  the 
aggregate  losses  of  companies  by  States,  the  number  suspended  and  assess- 
ed, and  the  number  unaffected  by  the  Chicago  fire.  The  total  number 
of  companies  in  the  United  States  is  335;  aggregate  capital  $17,939,216; 
total  losses,  $82,821,122;  companies  suspended,  57;  number  assessed,  28; 
number  not  in  the  fire,  87.  The  following  are  the  losses  of  companies  by 
States:  New  York,  $21,637,500  ; Ohio,  $4,818,657;  Massachusetts,  $4,481, 
550;  Pennsylvania,  $2,082,000;  Illinois,  $33,878,000;  Connecticut,  $9,325, 
000;  Rhode  Island,  $2,072,500;  Maryland,  $397,165;  Wisconsin,  $290,000; 
Michigan,  $175,000;  Minnesota,  $100,000;  Main,  $30, 000; Kentucky,  $6,800; 
California,  $2,950,000.  The  losses  of  foreign  companies  are  $5,813,000. 

Of  the  335  companies  doing  afire  insurance  business  in  the  United  States, 
249  experienced  losses  more  or  less  severe;  while  of  the  six  English  com- 
panies, but  one  escaped  loss  at  Chicago.  The  American  companies  show  an 
aggregate  loss  of  $82,821,125,  and  the  English  companies  of  $5,813,000;  so 
that  the  total  insurance  covered  by  this  great  conflagation  may  be  summed 
up  in  round  numbers  at  $90,000,000.  The  aggregate  insurance  capital  of 
American  companies  amounts  to  $74,930,216;  while  the  total  assets  of  all 
the  companies  both  English  and  American,  amounts  to  $145,879,521. 

Deducting  the  losses  at  Chicago  the  companies  have  about  $60,000,000 
left,  the  impairment  being  not  far  from  $25,000,000  on  the  total  capital.  Of 
the  254  companies  affected  by  the  disaster,  fifty-seven  have  suspended,  and 
twenty-eight  of  the  remainder  have  already  taken  measures  toward  the 
filling  up  of  their  resbective  deficencies.  Illinois  has  suffered  the  most 
severely,  no  less  than  fourteen  of  her  twenty  companies  have  already  stop- 
ped. Connecticut  loses  seven  of  her  eleven  companies.  Rhode  Island 
five  out  of  nine. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  effects  of  the  disaster  is  the  increase  in  the 
number  of  insurers.  Those  wrho  have  regularly  insured  have  largely 
increased  their  lines,  and  property  ‘generally  was  never  so  well  protected 
in  this  regard  as  now.  Rates  of  premium  have  generally  advanced,  and 
the  increased  income  of  most  of  the  companies  will  aid  the  process  of 
recovery  very  greatly. 


BURNING  OF  THE  CENTRA. Ii  GRAIN  ELEVATORS  AT  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  CHICAGO  RIVER 


INTERIOR  VIEW  OP  THE  DEPOT  FOR  SUPPLIES,  IN  THE  WEST  SIDE  SKATING  RINK 


The  Great  Northwest  Fires; 

FULL  DESCRIPTION,  WITH  THRILLING  INCIDENTS. 


Simultaneous  with  the  Chicago  calamity,  the  most  terrific  general 
conflagration  known  in  the  history  of  the  world,  raged  throughout 
various  parts  of  the  Northwest,  spreading  devastation  and  death  in 
its  lurid  pathway.  The  loss  of  life  was  vastly  greater  than  at  Chi- 
cago, and  the  destruction  of  property  very  great,  most  of  it  unin- 
sured, and  therefore  a total  loss.  It  is  said  that  480,000  acres  of 
timbered  lands  were  burnt  over,  equal  to  750  square  miles,  and  that 
the  timber  burned  was  equal  to  that  which  would  yield  a product  of 
1,800,000,000  feet  of  lumber — enough  to  build  a large  city. 

It  is  now  conceded  by  scientists  that  the  Chicago  fire,  and  the  fires 
in  Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  were  produced  by  natural  causes  beyond 
human  foresight  or  control,  and  the  startling  theory  that  “ they  re- 
sulted from  the  passage  of  a great  atmospheric  stream,  which  arose 
in  longitude  sixty-two  degrees,  swept  with  a cyclone  Antigua  and  the 
Virgin  Isles  on  21st  August,  the  Bahamas  on  23d,  and  then  moved 
slowly  to  the  Northwest,  striking  Chicago  and  the  forests,”  is  be- 
lieved by  scores  of  intelligent  people. 

The  Peshtigo  Fire. 


A VIVID  PICTURE. 

The  Sunday  of  the  fire  was  noticed  as  a chilly  day,  though  the  at- 
mosphere was  still  and  filled  with  a dense,  blinding  smoke.  The 
smoke  created  no  alarm,  as  the  smouldering  fires  in  the  pineries 
about,  sufficiently  accounted  for  it.  Toward  evening  the  smoke  in- 
creased, while  the  chilliness  of  the  atmosphere  perceptibly  abated* 
and  early  in  the  evening  gave  way  to  occasional  hot  puffs  from  the, 
burnt  districts.  Soon  after  8 o’clock  in  the  evening,  the  warmth  of 
the  atmosphere  still  increasing,  and  the  smoke  almost  suffocating 
in  its  density,  a low,  sullen  rumbling  began  to  be  heard  far  away 
in  the  southwest,  while  a painfully  ominous  stillness  pervaded  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  town.  People  asked  each  other  what  was 
the  matter,  and  tried  to  appear  unconcerned  while  trembling  with 
undefined  apprehensions.  At  half-past  eight  the  far-off  rumbling 
had  increased  to  a steady  roar  like  distant  thunder,  or  the  coming 


260 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


of  heavy  freight  trains  at  full  speed.  Men  felt  their  way  through 
the  smoky  streets  and  congregated  at  the  hotels,  in  front  of  the 
stores,  and  all  other  places  of  resort,  and  discussed  the  strange 
sounds.  Anxious  mothers  nervously  and  hesitatingly  put  their  little 
ones  to  bed,  and  then  peered  out  in  the  dismal  streets  to  see  what  they 
could  see.  Nine  o’clock  came,  and  with  it  an  alarming  increase  of 
the  unknown  sound,  which  now  resembled  the  roar  of  a dozen  freight 
trains  racing  at  full  speed,  the  location  of  the  sound  being  sensibly 
nearer  the  town.  Suddenly  there  was  a cry  of  fire  sounding  through 
the  smoke-beclouded  streets,  and  men  rushed  hither  and  thither 
through  the  impenetrable  blackness,  rubbing  their  eyes  for  sight, 
and  stumbling  against  each  other  as  they  ran.  But  no  fire  was 
found,  though  the  search  extended  out  of  the  village  and  into  the 
edge  of  the  woods,  and  the  excited  people  hurried  back  to  their 
houses  laughing  at  each  others  apprehensions,  and  trying  to  feel 
secure. 

Scarcely,  however,  had  the  first  alarm  subsided  when  the  appall- 
ing cry  was  again  raised  in  another  quarter,  and  the  blind  running 
and  colliding  and  stumbling  was  again  renewed  as  the  terror-strick- 
en citizens  sought  a second  time  for  the  flames  that  were  not  to  be 
found.  But  while  this  confusion  was  at  its  height,  and  while  the 
majority  of  the  men  were  away  from  their  houses  groping  through 
clouds  of  smoke  and  blackness,  and  with  a roar  that  was  almost 
deafening  filling  their  ears,  a change  began  to  manifest  itself  in  the 
atmosphere.  The  whole  air  seemed  sensibly  agitated,  and  angry 
puffs  of  almost  burning  heat  came  sweeping  through  the  town,  while 
at  quick  intervals  a frightful  glare  penetrated  the  dense  dark 
smoke  from  the  southwest,  and  at  times  seemed  playing  high  up  in 
the  heavens  above.  Even  the  very  earth  seemed  to  quake  and  trem- 
ble. Horrors  impended  on  every  hand.  Mothers  caught  their  chil- 
dren from  their  beds  and  hastily  dressed  them.  A cry  of  terror 
filled  the  town.  Men  hastened  to  their  houses  and  collected  their 
families  about  them.  Many  bolder  ones  caught  up  their  valuables 
and  buried  them.  Even  the  dumb  beasts  were  seized  with  fright 
and  ran  bellowing  through  the  streets.  Then  came  nearer,  clear- 
er, and  more  deadly  than  before,  that  horrible  roar,  resembling  the 
din  of  a mighty  battle,  and  with  it  the  more  eccentric  and  violent 
agitation  of  the  atmosphere,  a more  continuous  show  of  the  lurid 
glare  overhead  and  in  the  southwest  ; while,  to  add  to  the  horror  of 
the  night,  great  balls  of  fire  like  flaming  missiles  shot  from  unseen 
artillery,  began  falling  on  the  housetops,  in  the  streets,  and  all 
through  the  doomed  village.  The  scenes  that  followed  were  an  ag- 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


261 


gravation  if  possible  of  Dante’s  wonderful  description  of  hell.  Men, 
women,  and  children,  horses,  oxen,  cows,  dogs,  swine,  fowls — every- 
thing that  had  life,  was  seized  with  panic,  and  ran  wildly,  and  with 
equal  uncertainty  to  escape  the  impending  destruction.  Children 
got  lost  from  their  parents  and  were  trampled  upon  by  crazed 
brutes.  Husbands  and  wives  were  calling  loudly  for  each  other 
and  rushing  in  wild  dismay,  they  knew  not  where. 

The  day  of  judgment  had  certainly  come,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
great  majority,  and  yet  they  all  sought  to  escape  its  terror.  The 
oppressive,  burning  heat  seemed  to  be  the  most  dreaded  affliction, 
and,  following  the  instincts  of  the  animals,  those  who  could,  ran  to 
the  water.  The  majority  of  the  residences  were  on  the  southerly 
side  of  the  river,  while  the  company’s  store,  boarding-houses,  ware- 
houses, and  shops,  occupied  somewhat  isolated  positions  on  the 
northerly  side  of  the  stream.  Many  people  rushed  to  these  for  safe- 
ty. The  great  boarding-house  was  soon  filled  with  people.  A num- 
ber of  the  Company’s  employees  sought  shelter  in  the  stores,  taking 
their  families  with  them. 

But  while  the  community  were  thus  frantically  seeking  shelter 
anywhere  and  everywhere  rather  than  where  they  chanced  to  be,  the 
awful  scene  changed,  and, with  the  howling  of  a tornado,  against  which 
seemingly  nothing  could  stand,  came  a storm  of  fire,  which  an  eye- 
witness likens  to  the  heaviest  snowfall  of  winter,  with  each  flake  of 
snow  a coal  of  fire.  The  heavens  rained  fire  on  every  hand,  as  if  to 
consume  the  whole  earth. 

In  an  instant,  nearly  every  building  in  the  town  was  in  a blaze. 
Then  the  fury  of  the  tempest  received  additional  strength  and  burst 
in  one  mighty  effort,  as  if  determined  that  the  flames  should  not  rob 
it  of  its  prey.  Houses  crumbled  like  paper  structures,  and  flaming 
roofs  and  sides  were  borne  away  like  gigantie  sparks  upon  the  gale 
to  spread  the  consuming  element.  The  Company  had  but  recently 
completed  a very  large  warehouse,  built  with  a special  view  to  with- 
stand the  gales,  which  so  frequently  visit  that  region ; but  when  this 
tornado  struck  it,  it  went  to  pieces  like  a child’s  playhouse  built  of 
cards.  Whoever  had  not  reached  a place  of  safety  found  it  impossi- 
ble to  move  against  this  mighty  storm.  People  threw  themselves  on 
the  ground  rather  than  be  borne  away  by  its  violence,  and  perished 
where  they  fell.  The  next  day  a man  was  found  hugging  a tree,  his 
body  half  consumed.  The  storm  of  falling  cinders  was  succeeded 
quickly  by  a continuous  blaze  that  licked  up  everything  with  which 
it  came  in  contact.  Those  in  the  water  only  saved  themselves  by 
keeping  their  bodies  submerged,  only  venturing  to  raise  their  heads 


262 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


at  intervals  for  a moment  to  gasp  for  breath.  Many  were  drowned 
in  the  effort  to  escape  burning,  while  others,  who  sought  to  catch 
breath,  inhaled  only  livid  flame,  and  perished.  Even  the  very  fishes 
were  reached  by  some  mysterious  agency  and  killed,  so  that  the  next 
day  hundreds  of  them  were  found  floating,  dead. 

IN  THE  FLAMES. 

A correspondent  furnishes  the  following  thrilling  incidents  of  this  remarkable 
fire  : 

The  tornado  was  but  momentary,  but  was  succeeded  by  maelstroms  of  fire, 
smoke,  cinders,  and  red-hot  sand.  Wherever  a building  seemed  to  resist  the  fire, 
the  roof  would  be  sent  whirling  into  the  air,  breaking  into  clouds  of  flame  as  it 
fell.  The  shower  of  sparks,  cinders,  and  hot  sand,  fell  in  continuous  and  prodi- 
gious force,  and  did  quite  as  much  in  killing  the  people  as  the  first  terrific  sirocco 
that  succeeded  the  fire.  The  wretched  throng,  neck-deep  in  the  water,  and  still 
more  hapless  beings  stretched  on  the  heated  sands,  were  pierced  and  blistered  by 
these  burning  particles.  They  seemed  like  lancets  of  red-hot  steel,  penetrating 
the  thickest  covering.  The  evidence  now  remains  to  attest  the  incredible  force  of 
the  slenderist  pencils  of  darting  flame.  Hard  iron-wood  plow-handles  still  re- 
main, and  for  the  main  point  unburnt.  When  the  hapless  dwellers  in  the  remote 
streets  saw  themselves  cut  off  from  the  river,  groups  broke  in  all  directions  in  a 
wild  panic  of  fright  and  terror.  A few  took  refuge  in  a cleared  field  bordering  on 
the  town.  Here  flat  upon  the  ground,  with  faces  pressed  in  the  mud,  the  helpless 
sufferers  lay  and  roasted.  But  few  survived  the  dreadful  agony.  The  next  day 
revealed  a picture  exceeding  in  horror  any  battle-field.  Mothers  with  children 
hugged  closely  and  the  poor  flesh  seared  to  a crisp.  One  mother,  solicitous  only 
for  her  babe,  embalms  her  unutterable  love  in  the  terrible  picture  left  on  these  wo- 
ful  sands.  With  her  bare  fingers  she  had  scraped  out  a pit,  as  the  soldiers  did  be- 
fore Petersburg,  and  pressing  the  little  one  into  this,  she  put  her  own  body  above 
it  as  a shield,  and  when  daylight  came  both  were  dead — the  little  baby  face  un- 
scarred, but  the  mother  burnt  almost  to  cinders. 

6CHWABTZ,  THE  HEKMIT. 

About  the  first  farm  out  from  Peshtigo  is  owned  by  a one-eyed  German,  who  is 
known  the  country  round  as  Schwartz,  the  hermit.  Some  twenty  years  since, 
when  this  region  was  an  unbroken  wilderness,  occupied  almost  exclusively  by  In- 
dians, this  man  Schwartz  came  here,  built  a cabin,  and  ever  since  has  lived  en- 
tirely alone,  apparently  caring  very  little  for  the  outside  world,  or  for  what  other 
people  thought  of  him.  At  that  time,  with  the  exception  of  the  blind  eye, 
Schwartz  was  a splendid  looking  man,  and  blessed  with  a very  superior  education. 
The  story  of  the  cause  of  his  abandoning  the  world  and  adopting  the  life  of  a re- 
cluse, is  the  same  as  has  been  told  thousands  of  times  before.  He  fell  in  love 
with  a handsome  girl — the  story  would  be  spoiled  if  she  was  not  beautiful — was 
engaged  to  be  married,  when  she,  like  too  many  others  of  her  sex,  proved  false 
and  married  another  fellow,  a major  in  the  Prussian  army.  This  was  too  much 
for  our  hero,  who  forthwith  fled  to  America  and  found  consolation  for  his  blighted 
affections  in  the  solitude  of  these  pine  forests.  He  dug,  or  rather  burrowed  in 
the  ground,  where  he  lived  with  his  chickens,  geese,  cats,  hogs  and  dogs,  present- 
ing as  happy  a family  as  can  be  found  in  any  menagerie  in  the  country.  Schwartz 


THE  GREAT  EIRE  AT  PESHTIGO 


N 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


267 


has  been  very  thrifty  and  industrious  since  he  came  here,  and  was  considered 
very  wealthy,  many  even  asserting  that  he  had  gold  stored  away  in  every  corner 
of  his  filthy  abode.  When  the  fire  came  Schwartz  and  his  family  ran  down  to 
Trout  Brook,  into  which  they  plunged  and  remained  until  the  fire  had  spent  its 
fury.  The  hermit  has  already  commenced  building  another  .hut,  where  he  will 
doubtless  spend  the  balance  of  his  days,  little  heeding  what  takes  place  else- 
where. 

DOWN  IN  A WELL. 

About  half  a mile  beyond  Schwartz’s,  on  the  right,  and  about  two  hundred 
yards  from  the  road,  are  the  remains  of  a dwelling  which  was  occupied  by  a fami- 
ly named  Hill.  The  family  were  all  in  the  house  at  evening  prayers,  when  they 
were  suddenly  startled  by  a loud  noise,  much  resembling  continuous  thunder. 
On  going  to  the  door  they  found  themselves  entirely  surrounded  by  fire,  and  as 
the  only  means  of  escape,  the  whole  of  them,  eight  in  number,  went  down  into  the 
welL  Here  they  remained  in  safety,  until  the  wooden  house  covering  the  well 
caught  fire,  fell  in,  and  burned  the  entire  party  to  death.  Another  case  exactly 
similar  to  the  last  was  that  of  the  Davis  family,  in  Peshtigo,  who  were  all  smother- 
ed to  death  in  their  well,  into  which  they  had  descended  in  the  vain  hope  of  saving 
their  lives.  I have  heard  of  quite  a number  of  such  cases,  but  as  the  facts  were 
not  definitely  given,  I make  no  mention  of  them. 

BURNED  WHILE  ESCAPING  IN  A WAGON. 

A short  distance  on,  we  come  to  a lone  stone  wall,  the  foundation  of  a house,  the 
former  residence  of  a family  named  Lawrence,  all  of  whom  perished.  Immediate- 
ly in  front  of  this  place  was  the  iron  work  of  a wagon,  which  once  belonged  to 
Chas.  Lamp.  Lamp  lived  about  a mile  beyond,  and  when  he  found  the  fire  ap- 
proaching his  house  so  rapidly,  he  hitched  up  his  team,  and  with  his  wife  and  five 
children  drove  with  all  speed  toward  Peshtigo.  In  a very  few  minutes  after  start- 
ing he  heard  screams  in  the  wagon,  and  looking  back  found  that  the  clothes  of  his 
wife  and  children  were  all  ablaze.  It  was  certain  death  to  stop,  and  he  therefore 
urged  his  horses  to  still  greater  speed,  but  before  he  had  moved  many  rods,  one 
of  the  horses  fell,  and  finding  that  he  could  not  get  him  up,  and  seeing  that  all  of 
his  family  were  dead,  Lamp  started  to  save  his  life,  which  he  did  after  being  most 
horribly  burned.  He  is  now  in  the  hospital  at  Green  Bay,  and  is  slowly  recover- 
ing. When  at  the  latter  place  I saw  him,  and  had  a full  narrative  of  the  bloody 
tragedy  from  himself.  What  little  was  found  of  the  charred  remains  of  the  wife 
and  five  children  were  buried  in  a field  not  far  off.  Of  the  wagon  not  a speck  was 
to  be  seen,  excepting  the  half-melted  iron  work. 

SUDDENLY  EXTINGUISHED  PROSPECT  OF  SAFETY. 

We  next  come  to  the  Lawrence  farm,  one  of  the  best  on  the  whole  route,  show- 
ing a very  high  state  of  cultivation,  on  which  everything  had  been  swept  away. 
Lawrence,  with  his  wife  and  four  children,  ran  to  the  centre  of  an  immense  clear- 
ing. several  hundred  yards  from  any  house  or  timber,  with  the  idea  they  would  be 
entirely  safe  there.  The  fire  came,  and  rushed  along  on  every  side  of  them,  yet 
they  remained  unharmed.  At  this  moment  one  of  the  great  balloons  dropped  in 
their  midst,  and  in  an  instant  they  were  burned  up,  hardly  anything  being  left  of 
them. 


263 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


FIRE  BALLOONS. 

Your  readers  may  wonder  wliat  I mean  by  fire  balloons,  and  I confess  that  I 
hardly  know  myself,  and  only  use  the  term  because  it  was  so  frequently  used  by 
others  in  conversation  with  me.  All  of  the  survivors  with  whom  I conversed  said 
that  the  whole  sky  seemed  filled  with  dark,  round  masses  of  smoke,  about  the  size 
of  a large  balloon,  which  traveled  with  great  rapidity.  These  balloons  would  fall 
to  the  ground,  burst,  and  send  forth  a most  brilliant  blaze  of  fire,  which  would  in- 
stantly consume  everything  in  the  neighborhood.  An  eye-witness,  who  was  in  a 
pool  of  water  not  far  off,  told  us  about  the  balloon  falling  right  down  on  the  Law- 
rence family,  and  burning  them  up. 

A PATH  THROUH  THE  FIRE. 

In  returning,  about  a mile  to  the  north  we  came  to  Adnah  Newton’s  farm,  where 
sixteen  persons  were  burned  to  death.  As  soon  as  Newton  saw  the  fire  he  started 
out  to  see  what  was  best  to  be  done.  Running  down  to  the  road  he  found  him- 
self headed  off  by  the  flames.  Turning  back,  he  saw  his  family  and  workmen  in 
the  yard  coming  toward  him,  but  when  they  noticed  him  turn  back  they  also 
changed  their  course  ; in  an  instant  more  they  were  all  on  fire,  and  must  have 
perished  in  a moment.  Newton  happened  to  notice  on  his  right  what  proved  to 
be  a path  through  the  flame  about  fifty  yards  wi^e,  for  which  he  rushed,  and  con- 
tinued for  three-fourths  of  a mile,  when  he  came  to  a house  still  occupied  by 
several  persons.  They  all  invited  him  to  come  into  the  house,  but  he  declined 
saying  he  would  rather  trust  to  being  saved  in  a small  pool  of  water  close  by.  In 
another  instant  the  house  was  on  fire,  and  before  the  inmates  could  get  to  him, 
they  were  all  burned  to  death,  while  Newton  escaped  pretty  well  singed.  I had  a 
long  conversation  with  Newton,  and  he  declared  he  had  no  hankering  after  anoth- 
er such  a race.  The  second  day  after  the  fire  thirty-three  remains  were  found  on 
these  farms. 

THE  ONLY  TRACE. 

The  Doyle  family  consisted  of  the  husband  and  father,  Patrick,  the  wife,  and 
seven  children.  The  fire  came,  and  not  one  single  trace  of  any  of  them  could 
be  found,  excepting  a Catholic  medal,  some  nails  out  of  a pair  of  shoes,  and  some 
hooks  and  eyes.  Of  their  bodies  not  one  single  thing  was  left,  not  even  the  ashes 
of  their  bones.  Next  to  the  Doyles  lived  the  Pratt  family,  all  of  whom  perished, 
excepting  a small  boy,  who  saved  himself  by  jumping  into  the  well.  When  the 
burial  party  arrived  they  found  the  large  Newfoundland  dog  watching  by  the  body 
of  his  mistress,  and  it  was  only  by  force  that  they  could  drive  him  away  long 
enough  to  bury  the  corpse.  The  Hill  family,  consisting  of  ten  persons,  lived 
near  by.  They  had  working  for  them  a half  grown  Indian  boy,  who  was  ordered 
down  to  hitch  up  the  team.  The  barn  getting  on  fire,  the  master  ordered  him  to 
return.  Not  coming  as  fast  as  Hill  desired,  the  order  was  repeated  in  a more 
peremptory  manner,  when  the  Indian  looked  up  and  said  ; “ Its  everybody  for 
himself  now,”  and  off  he  started  with  the  speed  of  the  deer.  Rushing  through 
the  fire,  he  reached  a clearing  half  a mile  away  and  was  saved,  while  the  entire 
Hill  family  perished. 

THE  ONLY  HOUSE  LEFT. 

In  the  entire  Upper  Bush  country  there  is  only  one  house  left,  the  home  of  “old 
man”  Place.  Many  years  ago  this  man  settled  here,  soon  afterward  married  a 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


269 


squaw,  by  whom  be  has  bad  many  children.  He  has  always  engaged  in  trading 
with  the  Indians,  who  have  bad  bis  bouse  as  their  headquarters.  When  the  fire 
came,  about  twenty  Indians  covered  bis  bouse  with  their  blankets,  which  they 
kept  wet  down,  and  thus  saved  the  bouse.  One  great  big  fellow  stood  at  the 
pump  for  nine  hours,  showing  an  endurance  possessed  by  very  few  white  men. 
Strange  as  it  may  now  seem,  while  there  are  about  as  many  Indians  as  whites  in 
this  section,  at  least  one  thousand  of  the  latter  perished,  and  not  a single  Indian. 
This  may  seem  strange,  but  it  is  vouched  for  by  the  very  best  persons  here. 
Whether  the  Indians  could  smell  the  fire  sooner  than  their  more  refined  white 
brethren  and  escaped  in  time,  I know  not,  but  I do  know  that  they  were  all  saved. 
And  the  only  ones  I heard  of  being  injured  were  the  half-breed  children. 

HOW  ABTICX.ES  WEEE  SAVED. 

Mr.  Shepard,  of  Peshtigo,  was  aroused  on  Sunday  night  by  the  servant  girl,  af- 
ter he  had  retired,  with  the  information  that  there  was  danger  from  fire.  He  ran 
to  the  mill,  attached  the  hose  and  commenced  wetting  down  the  mill.  When  the 
tornado  came  and  he  saw  that  all  was  lost,  he  ran  to  the  house  to  save  his  wife 
and  children,  in  which  he  succeeded.  After  the  village  was  burned,  when  Mr. 
Shepard  supposed  he  had  not  an  article  left  but  the  clothes  they  had  on,  which 
were  burned  full  of  holes,  the  servant  girl  went  to  the  site  of  the  house  and  dug 
up  out  of  the  sand  all  his  best  clothing,  the  silver  ware,  and  most  valuable  goods, 
that  she  had  buried  without  his  knowledge,  while  he  was  trying  to  save  the  mill. 
Mrs.  Shepard  lost  some  of  her  clothing,  as  the  fire  did  not  give  the  girl  time  to 
bury  it  deep  enough. 

HONEYMOON  TBAGEDY. 

On  Thursday,  the  5th  inst.,  Mr.  J.  G.  Clement,  formerly  a painter  in  Fort 
Howard,  late  of  Peshtigo,  was  married  to  Miss  Trudell,  daughter  of  Theodore 
Trudell,  of  Menominee.  The  bride’s  mother  visited  them  at  Peshtigo  on  Sunday, 
the  8th,  and  left  at  4 p.  m.  When  the  fire  struck  Peshtigo,  Mr.  Clement  took  his 
wife  in  his  arms  and  started  for  the  river.  They  met  a man  with  a buckboard, 
going  to  save  his  wife  and  family,  but  seeing  the  task  was  hopeless  he  started  to 
go  back.  Mr.  Clement  asked  him  to  save  his  wife  and  he  would  do  the  best  he 
could  for  himself.  The  man  took  Mrs.  C.,  and  Clement  ran  behind,  holding  on 
the  buckboard,  but  finally  fell  in  the  road  and  died  from  suffocation.  The  bride 
begged  to  be  allowed  to  get  out,  but  was  held  in  and  taken  to  the  river,  where  she 
arrived  unconscious,  but  was  restored  and  saved. 

SUICIDE  BATHEB  THAN  TOBTUBE. 

In  the  Lower  Sugar  Bush,  Mr.  C.  R.  Towsley  was  found  lying  on  the  ground, 
a child  on  each  side  of  him,  the  throats  of  all  three  cut  and  a knife  lying  on  his 
breast.  The  father  had  evidently,  when  he  saw  that  escape  was  impossible,  chose 
to  die  by  the  knife  rather  than  endure  the  horrors  of  torture  by  fire.  About  ten 
rods  from  them  lay  Mrs.  T.  with  an  infant  child  on  one  arm  and  a Bible  on  the 
other,  and  a likeness  of  one  of  the  other  children  on  her  breast. 

P.  M.  Brown  informs  us  that  Miss  Augusta  Bartels,  about  fourteen  years  old, 
daughter  of  Fred  Bartels,  Peshtigo,  was  in  the  Sugar  Bush,  visiting  her  grand- 
parents, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adam  Newton.  When  the  fire  burst  upon  them  she  said 
there  was  no  use  in  trying  to  live,  all  had  got  to  be  burned,  and  threw  herself  into 
the  creek,  that  ran  through  Stephen  Storey’s  farm,  where  she  was  drowned.  The 
cries  and  lamentations  of  the  old  people  were  pitiful  to  hear. 


270 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


FATAL  MISTAKE. 

A man  in  Peshtigo  village  started  for  the  river  with  his  wife.  They  stumbled 
and  fell  in  the  dense  smoke,  and  springing  up  again  he  seized,  as  he  supposed, 
his  wife,  and  got  her  into  the  river.  When  the  smoke  cleared  away,  he  was  hor- 
rified to  find  that  he  had  saved  another  man’s  wife,  and  his  own  wife  was  burned 
to  death. 

MINOR  INCIDENTS. 

Wm.  Curtiss  was  found  in  a well  with  the  bucket  chain  around  his  neck. 

A man,  a shoemaker,  running  for  the  river  at  Peshtigo,  found  a little  girl  four 
years  of  age  and  took  her  into  the  water.  She  lay  across  his  shoulder  and  he 
swam  with  her  about  half  an  hour  and  saved  her  without  injury,  although  he  was 
considerably  burned  himself. 

Mr.  Dix  got  his  family  in  the  river,  half  clad.  The  baby  had  on  nothing  but  a 
nightgown.  Somebody  brought  a bundle  of  bed  clothing  to  the  river.  Dix  opened 
it  and  took  out  a sheet.  The  owner  wanted  to  take  it  away  from  him  for  fear  it 
would  get  burned,  but  he  secured  it,  spread  it  over  his  family  and  kept  it  wet  by 
throwing  water  on  it  with  his  hat.  He  thinks  he  could  not  have  saved  his  baby 
without  it. 

Mrs.  Heldenworth,  a woman  sick  with  a fever,  was  on  a log  in  the  river  at 
Peshtigo,  with  a child.  Her  husband  had  gone  back  to  the  town  for  some  pur- 
pose, and  when  he  returned  his  wife  and  child  were  gone.  The  fact  was  that  a 
cow  came  swimming  along,  and  rolled  over  the  log.  She  caught  the  cow  by  the 
horns,  and  the  cow  swam  out  with  the  woman  and  child.  They  were  found  and 
secured  in  the  river  again. 

The  scene  after  the  fire,  about  daylight,  in  front  of  the  company’s  blacksmith 
shop,  where  a heap  of  coal  was  burning,  and  the  people  had  gathered  to  dry  and 
warm  themselves,  was  heartrending  in  the  extreme.  Men,  women,  and  children, 
were  crying,  and  wringing  their  hands,  and  such  exclamations  as  these  were  com- 
mon : “ Where  is  my  husband?”  “ Where  is  my  wife?”  “Where  are  my  chil- 

dren ?”  Some  finding  their  friends  were  dead  wished  they  had  died  too. 

S.  Y.  D.  Philbrook  & Brother  had  a ship  yard  on  the  Island  at  Menekaune,  at 
which  the  little  schooner  Stella  was  being  repaired.  Large  numbers  of  people 
flocked  aboard  of  her,  and  as  the  fire  got  uncomfortably  close  some  were  for  cut- 
ting the  lines  and  letting  her  adrift.  Mr.  P.  seized  a handspike  and  threatened 
death  to  any  one  who  would  cut  the  lines,  and  this  held  the  vessel  until  many  got 
on  board,  and  in  fact,  our  informant  says,  her  lines  burned  off.  She  drifted  off 
into  the  middle  of  the  river,  where  she  grounded  on  a bar  and  remained  all  night 
in  front  of  the  burning  town. 

F.  Crickelair  tells  us  how  Charles  Rubens,  in  the  town  of  Lincoln,  saved  his 
family  of  six  children.  He  had  a house  and  store,  and  when  he  saw  they  could 
not  be  saved,  he  put  his  children  in  the  well.  Afterward  he  took  them  out  and 
put  them  in  the  middle  of  a field  and  threw  the  goods  from  his  store  into  the  well. 
In  saving  the  last  child  his  face  was  badly  burned,  and  his  shirt  burned  so  he  tore 
it  off.  The  goods  put  in  the  well  were  all  burned  but  one  piece  of  flannel  in  the 
water.  He  has  been  blind  ever  since  the  fire. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


273 


A young  lady  ran  for  the  river  with  a child  in  her  arms  ; but,  overcome  by  the 
heat  and  fright,  fainted  and  was  dragged  by  some  one  to  the  water  and  saved.  In 
the  morning  she  learned  that  her  sister  was  burned. 

One  old  man,  after  the  fire  abated,  was  found  to  be  so  burned  in  his  side  that 
his  entrails  hung  out.  His  hands  and  face  were  horribly  burned,  and  he  begged 
piteously  for  some  one  to  kill  him  and  end  his  misery. 

A little  girl,  as  she  clung  to  her  mother’s  dress,  looked  up  and  asked,  ‘ * Mamma, 
what  shall  we  pray  ? ” 

If  you  suppose  the  worst  snow  storm  you  ever  witnessed,  and  each  snow-flake  a 
coal  or  spark  of  fire,  driven  before  a fierce  wind,  you  have  some  idea  of  the  state  of 
the  atmosphere  at  the  time  the  fire  struck  the  town. 

Mr.  Johnson,  in  the  sugar  bush,  threw  his  money,  with  some  bedding,  into  his 
well,  covered  the  well  with  boards  and  piled  dirt  on  the  boards.  The  wind  blew 
off  the  dirt,  the  boards  burned,  and  all  the  clothing  and  money  were  destroyed. 

Some  one  who  saw  the  fire  approach  the  town  from  a distance,  says  there  seemed 
to  be  a vast  cloud,  streaked  with  blood,  which  went  in  advance  of  the  fire  in  the 
woods,  leaping  over  the  adjoining  timber,  and  fell  upon  the  town. 

There  were  many  phenomena,  which,  aside  from  the  fire,  were  similar  to  what 
have  occurred  during  the  tornadoes  that  frequently  swept  over  the  country. 
Roofs  were  lifted  from  buildings  and  windows  burst  in.  Whatever  was  light  and 
movable  was  caught  up  and  carried  forward  and  burned,  so  that  the  air  seemed  to 
be  literally  on  fire.  It  was  no  more  than  what  might  happen  in  any  timbered 
country,  especially  where  the  timber  was  principally  pine,  in  time  of  drouth,  with 
fires  scattered  through  the  woods,  if  a hurricane  should  sweep  over  it. 

During  the  fire  roofs  and  chimneys  blew  off  with  the  force  of  the  wind  and 
showers  of  burning  ooals  filled  the  houses. 

Next  morning  many  of  the  survivors  breakfasted  on  raw  cabbage — a field  of 
cabbage  having  escaped.  The  first  aid  was  a load  of  provisions  from  John  Mul- 
ligan’s railroad  camp.  Provisions  from  Marinette  arrived  about  noon,  and  from 
Green  Bay  next  day. 

Every  one  had  sore  eyes,  and  all  walked  with  their  heads  down,  or  bandages 
over  their  eyes. 

The  first  ones  to  collect  the  dead  and  make  arrangements  for  their  burial,  were 
John  Mulligan  and  his  wife.  Mulligan  (who  will  be  remembered  as  the  prize 
fighter,  but  whose  heart  is  much  larger  than  his  fists),  saved  his  wife  by  carrying 
her  in  his  arms  from  Hale’s  place  to  and  across  the  bridge  and  into  the  river,  a 
distance  of  half  a mile.  There  is  the  advantage  of  muscle. 

The  family  of  John  Greyer,  an  old  Frenchman  in  the  bush,  was  found,  the  char- 
red remains  of  three  in  the  ruins  of  the  house,  and  another  still  sitting  on  a stump 
near  by. 

A Swede  sitting  on  a chair  in  the  Peshtigo  Company’s  boarding  house,  was 
urged  to  flee  for  his  life,  but  sat  there  and  was  burned  with  the  house. 

John  Plush  died  in  his  accustomed  place  by  the  tavern  door.  Another  man  died 
with  his  hands  on  the  handle  of  Woodward’s  force  pump. 


274 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


A gentleman  walking  through  the  ruins  in  Peshtigo  saw  a burned  pocket  knife 
and  a slate  pencil  and  picked  them  up.  In  doing  so  he  saW  a line  of  white  ashes 
the  shape  of  a body,  and  a few  teeth.  This  was  the  earthly  remnant  of  a boy. 

We  learn  that  a woman  in  the  Sugar  Bush,  seeing  the  impending  doom,  started 
with  a team  and  wagon  with  her  children  for  Peshtigo.  On  the  road  she  found  a 
tree  that  she  could  not  get  over  and  immediately  cut  one  horse  loose,  got  upon  his 
back  with  her  children  and  reached  the  river  at  the  village,  saving  them  all,  but 
with  clothing  nearly  burned  off,  and  there  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  she  gave  birth 
to  a child. 

THE  NEWBERRY  FAMILIES. 

A Mr.  May  was  found  three  quarters  of  a mile  northwest  of  his  house, 
his  wife  about  the  same  distance  north,  and  his  little  boy,  four  years  old, 
the  same  distance  north-east.  The  Newberry  families,  consisting  of  sev- 
enteen persons,  were  all  lost.  They  lived  near  each  other.  They  owned 
a mill  and  three  farms.  Old  Mr.  Newberry  was  not  found,  Charles  New- 
berry ran  about  half  a mile  and  fell,  and  his  two  little  boys,  running  hand 
in  hand,  were  found  a little  beyond  their  father,  lying  side  by  side,  while 
wife  and  mother  was  found  on  the  road  near  a bridge  ; she,  forgetful  of 
her  own  suffering,  tried  to  save  her  babe.  Her  charred  hand  was  pressing 
the  head  of  her  child  upon  the  ground  so  that  it  might  not  breathe  the  fire. 
The  child’s  face  was  all  that  was  uninjured.  One  of  the  Newberrys  was 
found  dead  in  the  water  under  the  bridge. 

MIRACLES  AND  CHILD  HEROISM. 

Charles  Lamb  took  his  wife  and  four  children  in  a wagon  when  the  fire 
began  ; the  horse  became  unmanagable  and  ran  away  ; the  children  were 
thrown  out  one  by  one  ; Mrs.  Lamb  was  dragged  into  the  corner  of  a field, 
and  was  the  only  one  of  that  family  saved.  Mrs.  Caroline  England,  ex- 
pecting to  be  confined  every  hour,  rode  four  and  a half  miles  to  Peshtigo, 
stood  in  the  water  five  hours,  saved  three  out  of  four  of  her  sister’s  child- 
ren, and  gave  birth  to  a daughter  the  day  after.  In  the  middle  of  Sugar 
Bush,  a boy  jumped  into  a barrel  of  rainwater  that  stood  near  the  house, 
but  seeing  his  father  and  mother  in  a green  turnip  patch,  started  to  go  to 
them,  but  getting  badly  burned  as  he  tried  to  climb  the  fence,  he  went 
back  and  got  into  the  barrel  again.  The  father  and  mother  were  burned. 
The  boy  was  found  there  alive. 

One  woman,  with  a baby  ten  days  old,  and  four  other  small  children, 
displayed  more  bravery  than  many  a general  on  the  battle  field.  She 
gathered  her  children  around  her  and  picked  the  coals  off  her  family  as 
they  fell.  She  was  badly  burned,  and  one  of  her  children  has  since  died, 
but  the  babe  escaped.  Mr.  Tanner  tried  to  save  his  wife  and  two  children; 
when  his  wife  fell  dead  he  took  a child  under  each  arm  and  started  on  the 
run.  His  children  died  in  his  arms,  and  then  he  drew  a knife  and  tried  to 
take  his  own  life.  After  stabbing  himself  twice,  and  before  he  could  ac- 
complish his  design,  a limb  of  a tree  knocked  him  insensible  and  thus  his 
life  was  saved. 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


277 


I will  mention  one  case  of  a little  girl,  15  years  old,  who  saved  her  little 
sister  from  death,  but  who  was  advised  by  many  to  desist  from  the  attempt 
lest  she  herself  should  perish.  She  heeded  them  not,  but  by  the  most 
heroic  efforts  she  succeeded  in  rescuing  her  little  sister  from  the  merciless 
flames.  Her  father,  mother,  brothers,  and  other  sisters  perished  in  the 
devouring  element.  And  after  the  fire  had  abated  somewhat,  she  worked 
away  back  over  hot  ashes  and  burning  coals,  and  dragged  the  dead  bodies 
of  her  relatives  out  into  an  open  spaee  and  then  stood  watching  their  char- 
red remains  all  day  and  through  that  long  and  desolate  night  that  followed. 
That  is  child  heroism,  the  like  of  which  was  never  before  recorded. 

One  man  was  sick  of  typhoid  fever  ; a young  man  stopping  with  him 
took  the  sick  man  out  back  of  the  house  and  buried  him  in  the  sand.  He 
was  saved,  and  is  rapidly  gaining  his  health. 

The  Manistee  Fire. 

ORIGIN,  PROGRESS,  AND  EXTENT  OP  THE  CONFLAGRATION. 

Manistee  Lake  is  a body  of  water  nearly  five  miles  long  and  from  one-fourth  to 
three-fourths  of  a mile  wide,  lying  nearly  parallel  with,  and  about  a mile  or  two 
from  Lake  Michigan.  Near  the  northern  extremity  it  is  connected  with  the  latter 
lake  by  the  Manistee  River,  a large  navigable  stream,  from  75  to  125  yards  in 
width.  On  the  north  side  of  the  river,  between  the  two  lakes,  lay  the  First  Ward 
of  the  city,  and  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  (toward  Grand  Rapids,)  and  adja- 
cent to  it,  divided  nearly  equally  by  Maple  street,  on  which  was  the  swing  bridge, 
lay  the  Third  Ward,  next  the  Manistee,  or  as  it  is  more  generally  ealled,  “ little 
lake,”  and  the  Second  Ward  to  the  west,  next  the  “big  lake,”  or  Lake  Michigan. 
To  the  southeast,  bordering  on  the  “little  lake”  was  the  Fourth  Ward.  The 
Third  was  the  most  populous  and  embraced  the  greater  part  of  the  foreign  and 
poor  population.  The  Second  Ward  was  the  best  built  part  of  the  town,  especial- 
ly that  part  between  Oak  and  Maple  streets.  Within  the  city  limits,  and  directly 
south  of  the  space  embraced  between  the  latter  named  streets,  was  a tract  of 
about  twenty  acres  of  dead  hemlock  forest — the  trees  partly  standing  and  partly 
lying  upon  the  ground,  but  the  whole  as  dry  as  tinder  and  nearly  as  combustible 
as  gunpowder. 

On  the  fatal  Sunday,  October  8,  the  fire-alarm  sounded  at  about  9 a.  m.,  and  the 
Fire  Department  hastened  with  the  steamer  to  the  vicinity  of  Gifford  & Ruddeck’s 
mills  in  the  Fourth  Ward,  where  an  old  chopping  was  burning  furiously,  and 
threatening  destruction  to  that  part  of  the  town.  By  the  most  unwearied  efforts, 
continued  all  day,  the  fire  was  subdued,  and  that  part  of  the  town  was  saved. 
About  dark  the  engine  returned  to  its  quarters.  It  was  scarcely  housed  when  the 
wind,  which  had  been  blowing  furiously  all  day,  rose  to  a perfect  gale. 

At  about  2 p.  m.,  while  the  fire  in  the  Fourth  Ward  was  burning,  an  alarm 
whistle  was  heard  from  the  east  side  of  Manistee  Lake,  and  through  the  thick 
smoke  it  was  discovered  that  the  large  steam  mill  of  Magill  & Canfield,  on  Black- 
bird Island,  was  in  flames.  In  an  incredibly  short  space  of  time,  mill,  boarding- 
house, stables,  shops,  docks  and  lumber  were  consumed. 

As  soon  as  darkness  began  to  close  in  a lurid  light  appeared  in  the  south-west 
cci  the  shore  of  Lake  Michigan,  showing  the  pine  woods  that  line  the  shore  were  on 


278 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


fire.  About  9:30  p.  m.,  just  as  the  people  were  returning  from  evening  service, 
the  fire  alarm  again  sounded,  and  every  one  now  was  on  the  alert,  for  the  wind 
was  blowing  a fierce  gale.  Instantly  a red  angry  glare  lighted  up  the  western  sky 
near  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The  fire  department  rushed  to  the  rescue.  At  the 
mouth  were  located  the  large  mill  and  interests  of  John  Canfield,  with  boarding- 
house and  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  dwellings.  On  the  beach  several  acres  were 
covered  with  pine  sawdust,  highly  inflammable.  Along  the  river  near  the  piers  were 
piled  several  hundred  cords  of  dry  pine  slabs  (fuel  for  tugs. ) Down  from  the 
circling  hills  on  the  lake  shore  pounced  the  devouring  monster.  The  burning 
sawdust,  whirled  by  the  gale  in  fiery  clouds,  filled  the  air.  Hundreds  of  cords  of 
dry  pitchy  slabs  sent  up  great  columns  of  red  flame,  that  swayed  in  the  air  like 
mighty  banners  of  fire,  swept  across  the  Manistee,  200  feet  wide,  and  almost  in- 
stantly, like  great  fiery  tongues,  licked  up  the  Government  lighthouse,  built  at  a 
cost  of  nearly  $10,000,  situated  150  feet  from  the  north  bank  of  the  river. 

A large  fleet  of  vessels,  wind  bound,  lay  opposite  Canfield’s  mill,  with  four  tugs, 
including  the  three  large  barges  of  Tyson  & Robinson  and  the  great  steam  tug  Bis- 
marck. Now  commenced  furious  efforts  to  remove  the  vessels  and  barges.  The 
wild  puffing  and  screaming  of  the  tugs,  the  hoarse  hallooing  of  sailors,  the  loud 
roaring  and  crackling  of  the  flames,  the  awe-stricken  faces  of  the  gathered  multi- 
tude, luridly  lighted,  made  up  a seene  never  to  be  forgotten  or  adequately  de- 
scribed. The  efforts  of  the  firemen  were  in  vain — the  engine  became  disabled, 
and  the  flames  came  sweeping  all  before  them.  But  now  a new  source  of  terror 
arose.  A bright  light  eame  up  out  of  the  south,  directly  in  the  rear  of  the  town, 
and  the  fierce  gale  bearing  it  on  directly  toward  the  doomed  city.  Those  who  re- 
sided in  that  part  of  the  town  rushed  to  the  new  scene  of  danger,  the  full  extent  of 
which  few  comprehended.  The  fire  had  originated  two  miles  south  of  the  city, 
on  the  lake  shore.  It  first  came  upon  the  farm  of  L.  G.  Smith,  Esq.,  which  it  de- 
voured. Eighty  rods  north  the  extensive  farm  and  dairy  of  E.  W.  Secor  shared 
the  same  fate,  with  all  his  barns  and  forage.  Another  quarter  of  a mile  and  the 
large  farm  buildings  of  Mayor  Peters  were  quickly  annihilated.  Here  the  column 
of  fire  divided,  the  left  hand  branch  keeping  to  the  lake  shore  hills,  and  coming 
in  at  the  mouth  ; the  other  taking  a northeasterly  course  and  coming  in  directly 
south  of  the  town,  as  before  described.  Here  a small  band  of  determined  men, 
fighting  with  the  energy  of  despair  to  protect  their  homes,  kept  it  at  bay  till  past 
midnight.  But  all  was  vain.  At  half-past  twelve  o’clock  the  gale  became  a torna- 
do, hurling  great  clouds  of  sparks,  cinders,  burning  bark  and  rotten  wood,  through 
the  air  in  a terrific  fiery  storm. 

Every  man  now  fled  to  his  own  house.  The  fire  now  came  roaring  on  through 
the  dead  hemlocks  south  of  the  blocks  included  between  Maple  and  Oak  streets 
in  the  Second  Ward.  The  flames  leaped  to  the  summits  of  the  great  hemlocks, 
seventy  or  eighty  feet  high,  and  threw  out  great  flags  of  fire  against  the  lurid 
heavens.  The  scene  was  grandly  terrible  beyond  description.  To  us,  whose 
homes  and  dear  ones  and  all  were  in  the  track  of  fire,  it  was  heartrending.  Then 
came  a deluge  of  fire,  like  that  which  rained  on  the  cities  of  tho  Plains.  The  wood- 
en town,  the  sawdust  streets,  the  stumpy  vacant  lots,  the  pile-clad  hills  north  of 
the  river,  all  burst  into  a sea  of  flame,  made  furious  by  the  most  fearful  gale  of 
wind  I have  ever  experienced.  On,  toward  the  river  and  the  Manistee  lake,  spread 
the  tempest  of  fire.  Men,  women,  and  children,  in  night  clothes,  half  clothed  or 
fully  clothed — some  bareheaded,  on  foot,  in  wagons,  on  horseback, — all  fled  for 
their  lives.  It  was  pandemonium  on  earth.  Families  were  separated — husbands 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


279 


» 


and  wives,  parents  and  children.  The  writer,  when  he  gave  over  the  unequal 
contest  south  of  the  town,  rushed  to  his  residence  to  find  it  destroyed,  and  for 
nine  hours  he  could  get  no  word  whether  his  family  were  dead  or  alive.  They  had 
fled  before  the  tempest  of  fire  across  the  bridge,  which  burned  behind  them,  only 
to  be  surrounded  and  almost  to  perish  in  the  smoke  and  fire  on  the  north  side. 
Every  thing  went  down  before  the  storm — dwellings  with  their  home  treasures, 
mills  with  their  machinery,  stores  and  their  stocks,  warehouses  and  their  contents, 
the  fine  swing  bridge  at  the  foot  of  Maple  street,  vessels  and  their  cargoes,  all 
mingling  in  common  ruin. 

From  Fifth  street,  half  a mile  south  of  the  river,  to  Cushman  & Calkin’s  mill,  half 
a mile  north  of  the  bridge,  and  from  the  foot  of  Oak  street  eastward  to  Tyson  and 
JEtobinson’s  mill  at  the  outlet  of  Manistee  lake,  three-fourths  of  a mile,  was  one 
surging  sea  of  fire.  The  steam  fire  engine  burnt  in  the  street  where  it  stood,  the 
men  and  horses  barely  escaped  with  their  lives.  About  three  o’clock  the  wind 
abated,  but  the  work  of  ruin  was  complete.  When  Monday  morning’s  sun  glared 
red  and  lurid  through  the  heavy  masses  of  smoke,  where  had  stood  Manistee,  it 
beheld  a scene  of  desolation,  scarcely  to  be  described.  In  the  first  ward  three 
buildings  remained — the  catholic  church,  the  Ward  School  house  and  a small 
dwelling — and  I should  add  some  small  fishing  shanties  near  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  The  Third  Ward  was  swept  clean  except  a few  buildings  near  Manistee 
lake.  In  the  Second  Ward  the  six  plated  blocks  lying  between  Oak  and  Maple 
streets,  and  about  thirty  buildings  near  the  mouth,  were  swept  away.  The 
Fourth  Ward  escaped  nearly  untouched,  the  fine  residence  of  J.  L.  Taylor,  banker, 
formerly  the  residence  of  M.  Engleman,  situated  in  the  very  corner  of  the  ward, 
being  the  only  one  burned.  His  loss  was  great  and  almost  total.  The  fire  made 
thorough  work.  The  buildings  were  built  mostly  on  wooden  foundations,  and 
their  very  site  was  scarcely  distinguishable. 

A THOUSAND  PEOPLE  HOMELESS. 

A thousand  men,  women  and  children,  houseless,  homeless,  and  many  of  them 
penniless,  wandered  sad  and  blinded  in  the  black  and  smoking  streets,  or  had 
taken  refuge  on  vessels,  tugs,  boats  and  barges,  to  escape  the  devouring  element. 
Nothing  but  the  cleared  fields  of  Messrs.  Canfield  and  Peters,  south  of  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  Second  ward,  saved  that  part  of  the  town  from  utter  annihilation, 
and  hundreds  from  perishing  in  the  tempest  of  fire. 

THE  AETEB  SCENES. 

The  writer  of  this,  at  ten  o’clock  the  next  morning,  found  his  family  three  miles 
east  of  the  desolated  city,  having  barely  escaped  with  their  lives,  with  the  scanty 
clothing  snatched  in  the  moment  of  flight.  Then  was  seen  a spectacle  to  gladden 
the  heart.  Every  house  that  remained  was  opened  to  receive  the  sufferers. 
Hearts  and  hands  were  as  open  as  the  homes.  We  almost  felt  it  worth  while  to 
suffer  for  the  sake  of  witnessing  how  much  of  generosity  was  latent  in  human 
nature. 

WHAT  OF  THE  FUTUBE. 

Manistee  will  rise  from  her  ashes.  The  work  of  rebuilding  has  already  com- 
menced. We  have  faith,  hope,  energy  in  the  future,  and  some  capital.  We  have 
a splendid  natural  situation,  at  the  mouth  of  a beautiful  navigable  stream  pene- 
trating the  interior  through  the  pine  forests,  200  miles,  on  whose  banks  stand  four 
thousand  five  hundred  million  feet  of  good  pine,  most  of  which  must  be  manufac- 
tured at  and  shipped  from  Manistee.  Help  us  through  this  winter,  and  the  future, 
though  dimmed,  is  safe. 


280 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


Ahnappe. 


THE  TERRIBLE  STORY  OF  THE  LAST  WISCONSIN  HAMLET  THAT  FOUGHT  THE 
HURRICANE  OF  FIRE. 

Compared  with  the  facts  of  this  unvarnished  narrative,  the  wildest  fiction  is 
tame  and  common-place.  Human  annals  do  not  record,  in  equal  time  and  space, 
the  immensity  and  intensity  of  suffering  and  death  crowded  into  the  meager  epi- 
tome of  one  single  hour.  The  scene  of  a thriving  industry,  and  the  home  of 
nearly  a hundred  people ; the  place,  though  isolated  from  any  human  vicinity,  had 
maintained  a flourishing  and  tranquil  vitality.  The  shingle  mill,  with  its  co-ad- 
jutant industries,  gave  employment  to  the  entire  people,  women  and  children,  di- 
viding the  easy  labors  of  shingling  and  binding.  There  were  but  four  buildings 
on  the  clearing — the  mill,  the  general  boarding-house,  a store,  and  the  bam. 
Economy  and  convenience,  curious  to  say,  had  dictated  the  selection  of  this  re- 
mote spot.  The  timber  inexhaustibly  covered  the  place,  and  it  was  of  unequalled 
quality  ; a lazy  little  stream  meandering  through  the  gnarled  roots  and  soft  soil, 
offered  a supply  of  water,  enough  with  artesian  wells  to  drive  the  mill  machinery. 
It  was  cheaper  to  work  the  great  logs  into  marketable  shape  here,  where  they 
were  right  at  hand,  than  establish  the  mills  on  the  lake  or  bay,  and  drag  the  im- 
mense timber  over  miles  of  wretched  road.  The  fiery  experience  of  the  west 
shore — of  the  whole  Northern  "Wisconsin — had  been  the  experience  of  this  wood- 
immersed  hamlet.  For  weeks,  incessant,  laborious  battle  had  been  waged  night 
and  day,  reliefs  of  men,  and  even  women,  taking  turns  in  the  exhausting  contest. 
It  was  hoped  that  all  danger  had  been  warded  off  when  a wide  belt,  fully  a mile 
deep,  had  been  burned  outward  from  the  clearing.  The  serenity  of  assured  safety 
had  come  upon  the  people  when  this  black  circumvallation  was  complete — the 
very  night  before  the  calamity.  On  that  fatal  Sunday  morning  the  mill  operations 
suspended,  and  the  men  who  had  homes  in  the  neighboring  towns  of  Big  and 
Little  Sturgeon,  made  an  early  start  through  the  woods.  When  night  came, 
some  kindly  Providence  detained  them,  and  the  massacre  was  so  much  less.  The 
night  came  on  tranquilly,  the  humid  air  gave  grateful  promise  of  coming  rain, 
and  the  last  lingering  distrust  was  banished  from  the  timidest  inhabitant. 
Early  in  the  night  most  of  the  little  population  in  the  hamlet  were  in-doors  or  in 
bed.  It  was  still  early  when  those  casually  astir  outside  saw  a great  glowing 
light  shoot  athwart  the  southern  sky,  and,  spreading  rapidly  west  and  northward, 
continue  with  dazzling  brilliancy.  Presently  a slender  column  of  fire  shot  for- 
ward, and,  caught  by  a whirlwind,  came  ploughing  through  the  solid  timber  to- 
ward the  mill.  By  this  time  the  sleepers  and  all  had  rushed  from  the  barrack  in 
a wild,  clamoring  consternation. 

Three  brothers.  Williamsons,  owned  the  mill,  and  had  in  the  colony,  mother, 
father,  sisters,  wives  and  children.  Hastily  charging  the  women  to  care  for  them- 
selves, the  brothers  set  about  saving  the  property  if  possible.  But  before  the  hose 
could  be  brought  to  bear,  the  saving  of  the  life  alone  became  the  stake  in  the 
dreadful  encounter.  The  brothers,  as  proprietors,  seem  for  a time  to  have  been 
full  of  calm,  brave  discretion,  and,  with  the  full  realization  of  the  sudden  danger 
in  the  first  rush  of  the  tornado,  attempted  systematic  plans  of  preservation.  The 
women  were  directed,  as  far  as  possible,  to  put  on  men’s  clothes  throughout,  as 
offering  less  chance  for  the  fire  to  catch.  So  far  as  known  not  a woman  heeded 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


281 


the  advice.  Had  they  have  done  so  their  lives  might  not  have  been  sacrificed  on 
that  ignoble  pyre.  Even  if  life  had  not  been  saved,  the  most  revolting  sights  of 
the  massacre  would  have  been  spared  the  heart-broken  survivors.  This  was  the 
last  shred  of  coherent  conduct  among  the  frightened  people.  Swift  whirling  col- 
umns of  flame  had  cut  through  the  intervening  timber,  and  fell  voraciously  on  the 
light  frame  buildings.  The  whirlwind  lashing  the  trees  into  fragments  caught 
the  fire  in  roaring  surges  and  flung  it  about  in  billowy  waves  among  the  tree  tops. 
Slender  tongues  of  fire  falling  from  above  played  in  malevolent  currents  across  the 
clearing.  A desperation  of  terror  filled  men,  women  and  children — a terror  as 
natural  as  fatal,  for  had  common  fortitude  led  the  group  not  a soul  need  have 
perished.  With  one  impulse  the  frantic  mass,  battling  and  crowding,  rushed  to 
the  potato  patch.  Here  a rising  ground  was  crowned  by  a shallow  pit,  not  six 
feet  around,  and  hardly,  at  the  deepest  part,  two  feet  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground.  Men  now  living,  who  came  almost  unscathed  through  that  night  of  doom, 
tell  how,  before  the  evil  time,  when  the  fires  were  raging,  this  spot  had  been  fixed  on 
as  a place  of  safety,  because  almost  in  the  centre  of  the  clearing,  with  no  inflam- 
mable matter  near,  it  seemed  to  promise  a breathing  in  case  of  a general  confla- 
gration. There  had  been  constant  jocosities  and  banter  about  this  “ center  of  sal- 
vation,” and  some  one  actually  attempting  to  enlarge  the  cavity  had  been  driven  off 
by  good-natured  ridicule.  Even  as  late  as  Saturday  it  had  been  used  as  a place  of 
refuge,  notwithstanding,  and,  when  the  actual  danger  came,  the  credulous  mass  re- 
membered the  delusive  pit.  If  that  fatal  spot  had  not  been,  if  the  whimsical  be- 
lief had  not  obtained  a firm  hold,  there  is  not  the  slightest  doubt  but  the  forty- 
seven  that  perished  would  have  escaped  in  the  neighboring  woods.  Into  that 
crampled  place,  crowding,  buffeting,  cursing,  imploring,  praying,  shrieking,  men, 
children,  and  women,  elbowed  and  fought  in  the  frenzy  of  a hideous  desperation 
and  terror.  Not  large  enough  to  admit  a dozen  by  the  closest  packing,  nearly 
fifty  wrestled  and  crowded  in  and  about  the  fatal  spot.  With  ostrich  instinct,  in 
the  abjectness  of  their  unreasoning  fear,  men  plowed  their  burning  heads  under 
the  living  pyre.  An  inextricable  pyramid  of  bodies,  in  all  sorts  of  conceivable 
postures,  stood  in  the  flame-swept  place. 

There  were  a few  in  this  awful  time  that  preserved  an  amazing  equanimity.  The 
engineer  of  the  mill,  Byron  Merrill,  a young  fellow  of  marked  character  and  intel- 
ligence, battled  resolutely  till  the  last  chance  to  save  his  employers’  property,  and 
only  when  the  futility  of  the  effort  and  the  danger  of  life  became  obvious  was  his 
self-imposed  duty  resigned.  A bit  of  romance  tinges  the  glaring  picture.  *His 
sweetheart  was  the  relative  of  the  mill-owners,  Miss  Maggie  Williamson,  a girl  of 
rare  beauty  and  attraction.  The  young  fellow,  bright  and  cultured  beyond  his 
kind,  regarded  with  favor  and  affection  for  many  a mile  around,  had  won  her 
heart,  and  the  two  were  to  have  been  married.  The  girl,  with  her  kindred,  had 
fled  to  the  potato  patch,  and  here,  suffocating  with  smoke,  their  garments  in 
flames  and  writhing  in  awful  agony,  the  young  fellow  found  the  chief  part  of  the 
people.  He  tried  to  scatter  the  infatuated  group.  With  his  hat  pressed  closely 
over  his  mouth  and  nostrils,  he  directed  the  group  to  break  and  take  shelter  in 
the  edge  of  the  timber.  Hopeless ! the  roar  of  the  hurricane,  even  the  blood  curd- 
ling shrieks  of  the  sufferers,  drowned  his  voice.  He  tried  by  main  force  to  tear 
the  hideous  mass  asunder,  but  the  best  strength  of  a giant  could  not  have  broken 
the  maddened  clutch  of  the  wretched  sufferers.  The  group  was  immovably  fixed 
to  the  fatal  spot,  and  rose  from  burning  sand  a fiery  Laocoon  struggling  with  the 
coiling  flames.  Merrill  hastily  fetching  wetted  blankets,  threw  them  over  the  near- 


282 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


est  sufferers,  meantime  shouting  to  them  to  break  for  the  timber,  not  twenty  steps 
away.  Useless.  With  the  skin  hanging  in  shreds  upon  his  hands  and  forehead, 
he  carried  water  and  poured  it  on  the  infatuated  group,  while  the  ignoble  crowd- 
ing went  on  madly  among  the  swiftly  roasting  crowd.  The  tumultuous  struggle 
had  been  from  the  first  a loathsome,  unreasoning  fear.  A moment’s  coolness — a 
moment’s  cessation  of  the  frightful  effort  to  wedge  downward  would  have  given  life 
to  all.  The  time  came,  however,  when  the  faithful  Merrill,  stripped  almost  of 
clothing  and  burned  beyond  recognition,  had  to  give  up  the  heroic  effort,  and 
plunging  through  the  darting  flame  dashed  his  burning  body  in  the  well.  Earlier 
in  the  catastrophe  a half  dozen  heavy  sleepers  had  found  tardiness  their  salvation 
from  the  potato  patch,  and  they  darted  into  the  timber  belt,  which  had  been  care- 
fully burned  out  long  before,  to  keep  the  fire  from  the  houses.  Here,  prone  on 
the  ground,  they  protected  themselves,  while  the  mad  crowd,  not  ten  yards  away, 
roasted  in  their  blindness.  The  falling  trees  could  be  guarded  against,  but  noth- 
ing could  save  from  the  encompassing  fire  in  the  clearings.  One  came,  too,  whose 
frail  chance  of  life  the  meanest  creature  struggling  in  that  hot  pit  would  not  have 
refused,  an  old  tottering,  half  blind,  trembling  woman,  mother  to  the  owners  of 
the  mill.  She  must  have  been  forgotten  in  the  first  rush,  for  when  she  came 
toward  the  potato  patch  it  was  filled  with  a swarming  crowd  thrown  down  upon 
their  faces  in  the  shadowy  depths  of  the  potato  pit.  Seven  of  her  kindred  writhed 
in  that  hideous  knot.  Passing  on  with  decripped  step,  the  venerable  mother, 
whose  eighty  four  years  had  not  worn  out  coolness  and  discretion,  came  upon  a 
great  boulder  near  the  edge  of  the  timber.  Climbing  on  this  although  half  suffo- 
cated, she  covered  her  head  with  her  skirts,  and,  with  clothes  carefully  tucked  up 
from  the  running  flame3,  kept  for  hours  on  the  back  of  this  unique  salamander. 
The  only  son  that  came  out  of  the  fire  with  his  life,  it  is  said,  did  not  forget 
his  duty,  and  aided  his  mother  to  this  forlorn  refuge.  Be  that  as  it  may,  with  a 
thick  blanket,  well  wetted,  over  her  body  and  her  skirts  out  of  reach  of  the  hot 
incendiary  sand,  the  brave  old  lady  perched  on  that  rock  through  the  long  night  of 
agony,  every  shriek  of  her  roasting  kindred  splitting  her  ears,  and  their  burning 
bodies  almost  within  reach  of  her  helpless  arms.  Twice  through  the  night  she  re- 
ceived succor,  once  from  her  son,  who  came  up  and  wetted  her  covering  and 
once  from  the  barnmaster  Bush,  who  also  bathed  her  head  and  gave  her  cool 
water  to  drink.  Through  the  whole  unspeakable  tragedy  of  piteous  cowardice  ran 
this  vein  of  simple  fortitude  and  heroic  endurance. 

The  mill  blacksmith,  Michael  Adams,  stands  out  as  though  of  antique  mould. 
He  was  a man  of  gigantic  figure  and  grave,  rough  reserve.  When  the  danger  came, 
he  gathered  his  three  children  and  baby  in  his  great  strong  arms,  and  with  his 
wife  strode  to  the  centre  of  the  clearing,  where  he  calmly  placed  them  on  wetted 
blankets,  and,  covering  them  with  his  coat,  quietly  brought  water  in  buckets  and 
saturated  the  frail  protection.  The  flames  hissed  and  roared  about  him,  but  he 
never  desisted.  Resisting  the  hot  torrents  with  wonderful  endurance  and  even 
when  his  hair  was  ablaze,  his  hands  fleshless,  and  the  coals  eating  into  his  flesh, 
he  continued  his  efforts  for  wife  and  child.  The  young  engineer  and  the  barn- 
master  shouted  to  him  to  fly  to  the  woods.  He  seemed  to  hear  them,  but  calmly 
shaking  his  head  remained  at  his  post.  As  his  strength  and  sight  began  to  fail, 
he  looked  with  unutterable  yearning  toward  the  helpless  group  at  his  feet,  then 
glanced  anxiously  toward  the  wood.  Whether  he  saw  that  there  was  the  better 
chance  of  safety  can  never  be  known  ; he  reeled  suddenly  and  dropped  like  a shot 
in  his  tracks.  When  help  came  to  that  group  the  next  day,  an  unscarred  babe  lay 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


283 


in  the  arms  of  its  dead  mother,  the  father’s  arms  about  both.  They  were,  of 
course,  all  dead,  but  the  father  alone,  with  one  arm  burned  off,  was  unrecogniza- 
ble, save  by  his  giant  frame.  Even  the  dog  that  howled,  smothering  in  the  hot  air, 
and  kept  in  restless  motion  to  prevent  being  roasted  on  the  hot  sands,  seemed  im- 
pressed by  this  man’s  devotion.  Wagging  delirious  inquiry  with  his  tail,  and 
inteijecting  sharp  barks,  he  seemed  to  plead  with  his  obdurate  master.  Hopeless 
of  recognition,  then  he  would  poke  his  nose  under  the  wet  blankets,  and, 
after  a thorough  cooling,  emerge  dejectedly,  as  though  deprecating  the  weakness, 
while  his  master  was  exposed.  The  sand  growing  hotter  and  hotter,  the  forbearing 
dog  made  for  the  woods,  but  in  mid  career,  and  almost  in  the  performance  of  a 
jig — his  legs  were  kept  moving  so  briskly  to  keep  his  feet  from  burning — he  turned 
longingly,  as  if  reminding  the  man  that  that  was  the  way  to  safety.  No  heed  was 
paid  him,  and  with  painful  limps  and  piteous  whines  he  returned,  and  settling  his 
feet  on  the  blanket,  stared  eagerly  at  his  master.  His  poor,  singed  body  was 
found  in  the  attitude  of  love  and  duty. 

At  the  well,  which  stood  nearest  the  house,  a wretched  group  had  taken  refuge 
— not  only  at,  but  in  it.  Six  people  flung  themselves  into  this  last  resort,  count- 
ing confidently  on  it  as  a place  of  security.  Finally,  when  crippled  by  the  fire, 
and  exhausted  by  his  long  efforts,  the  young  man  Merrill  threw  himself  into  that 
crowded  pit  also : the  place  was  packed.  Even  here  his  presence  of  mind  was  all 
that  saved  a life  where  life  had  very  little  chance.  The  frail  wooden  curbing 
above  the  mouth  had  taken  fire,  and  the  flames  began  to  run  downward  fiercely. 
The  paralyzed  group  dared  not  put  out  th(  ir  heads,  lest  the  flames  should  smother 
them.  But  Merrill,  without  an  instant’s  hesitation,  uprose  and  flung  the  danger- 
ous thing  away,  and  the  barn  master,  hovering  about  the  edge  of  the  woods,  pre- 
sently refreshed  the  smothered  victims  by  a bucket  full  of  water.  The  well  was, 
notwithstanding,  a place  of  death.  The  flames,  sweeping  savagely  over  the 
clearing,  lurched  and  spit  down  hatefully  into  the  crowded  pit,  and  soon  the 
steady  blaze  from  within  indicated  the  fate  of  its  inmates.  Merrill  still  held  his 
mind  and  resisted  the  flames.  In  this  he  was  aided  by  Brush,  who  helped  him  to 
his  final  deliverence.  He  aided  all  who  would  listen  to  him,  and  to  his  presence 
of  mind  and  heroic  efforts,  the  few  that  were  saved  owe  their  lives.  He  brought 
water  from  the  creek  to  aid  the  group  on  the  potato  patch,  and  kept  the  sheltering 
blankets  saturated  as  long  as  he  dared  venture  inside  the  line  of  fire.  It  must  not 
be  supposed  that  outside  the  clearing  there  was  a fair  chance  of  safety.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  ceaseless  explosions  of  breaking  trunks  and  splintered  branches,  were 
so  terrific,  mingled  with  volumes  of  flame  in  the  tree  tops,  that  the  greater  part  of 
the  people  preferred  to  risk  the  dangers  of  the  open  ground.  But  the  thick  wood 
had  its  security,  and  with  care  the  people  that  lay  down  near  the  edge  found 
themselves,  when  the  frightful  morning  came,  comparatively  uninjured. 

Here  the  climax  comes  ; the  tragedy  is  complete  in  this  one  terrific  picture  ; the 
light  of  the  new  day  revealed  only  the  machinery  of  the  horrid  master-piece.  The 
red  glare  of  night  had  changed  into  the  bleak  dawn,  and  the  dawn  had  changed 
into  high  noon  before  a helpful  hand  broke  into  the  black  Golgotha.  The  barn- 
master  Bush,  when  silence  had  fallen  upon  the  place  an  hour  or  two  before  dawn, 
took  a horse  and  attempted  to  make  his  way  to  Little  Sturgeon  ; as  well  try  to  ride 
through  a stone  wall.  Leaving  his  horse  behind  he  struggled  on  by  the  bright  light 
of  the  burning  pines,  and,  after  incalculable  trouble  in  the  way  and  out  of  the  way, 
some  time  about  daylight  he  came  upon  the  ruins  of  a lumberman’s  cabin,  which 
by  the  regular  path  was  not  more  than  two  miles  from  the  mill.  He  had  been 


284 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


hours  in  reaching  it,  and,  worn  out  by  the  labors  and  agony  of  the  night,  he  sat 
down  to  rest.  Presently  the  owner  came,  and  together  the  two  started  back  to  the 
settlement.  They  went  first  to  the  well.  Merrill,  apparently  quite  dead,  was 
taken  out  first.  Six  more  after,  all  dead,  save  a child  crowded  belo  v its  mother 
at  the  bottom.  Merrill  soon  gave  feeble  evidence  of  life,  and  was  cared  for  at  onee; 
Bush  ran  to  the  stone  to  aid  the  old  woman.  The  blankets  were  rolled  away.  The 
stone  was  bare,  and  no  vestige  of  Mrs.  Williams  could  be  found.  Then  they  came 
upon  the  pit.  An  indistinguishable  heap  of  arms,  legs  and  bodies,  perfectly  still 
and  wholly  naked,  was  all  that  remained  of  the  mass  that  came  there  in  abundant 
life  a few  hours  before.  They  were  all  dead,  and  few  of  them  recognizable. 
Seven  Williamsons  perished  in  the  group,  among  others  the  young  girl  whose  long 
black  hair  was  found  clutched  in  masses  in  her  uncharred  hands. 

The  darkness  of  a new  night  threw  a pitying  veil  over  the  scene  when  the  first 
relief  from  the  outside  had  succeeded  in  cutting  a way  through.  The  work  of 
burial  began  next  morning,  and  fifty  were  accounted  for  in  the  fatal  clearing.  The 
venerable  mother  was  found  on  the  road  to  Big  Sturgeon  the  day  after  the  terrible 
exposure,  very  feeble  and  worn  out.  She  was  tenderly  cared  for,  and  is  in  a fair 
way  to  recover  what  she  can  count  but  little — her  health.  One  son  out  of  threa 
was  spared.  Her  husband  laid  his  grey  hairs  in  the  terrible  holocaust ; her  whole 
kindred  passed  away  in  the  ravages  of  that  deadly  night.  For  many  a day  the  woods 
were  not  clear  of  the  dead.  Bodies  in  every  stage  of  decay  were  constantly  brought 
in  by  the  committees,  and  the  grand  total  can  only  be  a matter  of  conjecture. 

ST.  CHARLES. 

AN  EVENTFUL  EXPEBIENCE. 


Mr.  James  Langworth,  of  St.  Charles,  Saginaw  county,  Michigan,  thus  details 
his  experience  concerning  the  fire  in  that  district : 

Mr.  Langworth  states  that  he  lived  about  four  miles  south  of  St.  Charles,  owning 
a farm  of  ninety  acres.  He  had  four  stacks  of  hay  near  his  bams,  six  acres  of  corn 
in  the  stock,  a stack  of  wheat,  thirty  bushels  of  threshed  wheat,  and  various  farm- 
ing implements,  all  of  which  were  converted  to  ashes. 

During  the  greater  part  of  the  week  previous  to  the  fire,  the  smoke  in  Lang- 
worth’s  locality  was  so  dense  and  stifling  that  he  was  at  times  unable  to  discern 
any  object  twenty  feet  away.  Two  weeks  before  he  sent  his  wife  and  children  to 
friends  in  Canada  for  a short  visit,  and  this  fact  probably  saved  their  lives.  The 
husband  was  not  apprehensive  of  danger  to  his  property  until  Sunday,  when  the 
flames  were  within  a mile  of  his  place,  with  the  wind  rather  driving  them  away 
from  him.  Great  clouds  of  smoke  settled  down  on  every  thing,  making  it  danger- 
’ ous  for  even  one  familiar  with  the  locality  to  wander  far  from  home,  every  object 
taking  on  a strange  look  to  mislead  his  steps.  The  farmer  had  a cow  and  several 
herds  of  young  stock,  and  these  was  suffering  so  terribly  from  the  smoke  that  he 
turned  them  loose  on  Sunday  afternoon  to  care  for  themselves.  They  started  off 
in  the  direction  of  the  village,  but  probably  perished  in  company  with  scores  of 
other  domestic  animals.  Langworth’s  well  had  been  without  water  for  a week, 
and  his  only  resource  was  a small  creek  about  forty  rods  from  the  house.  By 
digging  a hole  in  the  bed  of  the  stream  about  a barrel  of  water  would  collect 
during  the  day,  and  this  he  was  using  for  drinking  and  cooking  purposes. 

Just  before  dark  Sunday  night,  Langworth  states  that  his  yard  was  almost  over- 
run with  rabbits,  woodchucks,  coons  and  other  small  animals,  while  more  than  a 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


285 


hundred  squirrels  were  to  be  seen  about  the  house  and  barns.  The  animals  moved 
about  in  a stupid  way,  blinded  by  the  smoke,  and  would  hardly  move  away  when 
approached. 

There  was  no  sleep  for  the  farmer  that  night.  It  was  as  much  as  he  could  do  to 
breathe,  the  smoke  creeping  in  and  filling  the  room  until  his  lamp  could  scarcely 
be  seen  across  the  room.  Soon  after  midnight  he  ascertained  that  the  wind  had 
changed  and  freshened,  and  in  an  hour  more  he  could  hear  the  hoarse  roar  of  the 
fire  and  the  terrible  crashing  of  the  giant  trees  as  they  toppled  over.  Between  his 
place  and  the  fire  was  a swamp  nearly  half  a mile  across,  and  he  had  great  hopes 
that  this  would  act  as  a guard  to  prevent  the  further  spreading  of  the  flames.  In 
one  sense  it  did.  The  fire  did  not  sweep  across  it,  but  ate  its  way  around  it,  the 
wind  seeming  to  fan  the  flames  each  way,  and  when  the  farmer’s  clock  marked  the 
hour  of  six  Monday  morning,  the  smoke  was  so  dense  and  the  roar  and  noise  of  the 
fire  so  loud  that  he  decided  to  leave.  Having  little  money  to  care  for,  and  being 
poor  in  household  goods,  he  decided  to  make  the  attempt  to  save  some  of  the  bed- 
ding. Taking  some  small  articles,  as  photographs,  a small  picture  or  two,  the 
family  Bible,  and  his  faithful  clock,  Langworth  placed  them  on  a feather  tick, 
wrapped  this  up  in  a blanket,  and  was  ready  to  go.  Stepping  out  of  doors  to  take 
an  observation,  he  could  not  see  ten  feet  in  any  direction,  and  the  air  was  as  hot 
as  the  atmosphere  of  an  engine-room. 

As  he  stood  near  the  door,  peering  this  way  and  that,  a great  flame  suddenly 
shot  up  from  his  bam  and  haystacks.  As  he  returned  for  his  bundle,  thousands 
of  sparks  and  scores  of  burning  twigs  and  branches  swept  in  at  the  open  door, 
and  he  leaped  out  and  ran  for  his  life.  There  was  a wagon-road  from  Langworth’s 
place  to  the  village,  and  he  sought  this  means  of  escape.  Behind  him  were  the 
roaring  flames,  sweeping  everything  before  them,  and  traveling  so  fast  that  he 
had  to  strain  every  nerve  to  keep  ahead.  Where  the  fire  met  with  an  open  space 
or  a small  swamp,  its  progress  was  checked  for  a moment,  and  the  farmer  could 
get  clear  of  the  flying  sparks,  But  no  obstacle  could  long  stop  the  progress  of 
the  flames.  What  they  could  not  bum  they  would  leap  over  until  they  caught 
a mass  of  grass  or  a heap  of  leaves,  and  in  a moment  the  fire  was  eating  each 
way  and  progressing  forward  nearly  as  fast  as  a man  could  ran.  Almost  stifled, 
his  throat  so  parched  that  he  could  not  swallow,  and  his  lungs  feeling  as  if  a knife 
was  at  work  there,  Langworth  stumbled  forward,  scarcely  hoping  to  make  his 
escape.  What  he  expected  soon  occurred.  The  flames  which  had  been  sweeping 
down  from  another  direction,  suddenly  jumped  across  the  road  in  front  of  him, 
half  a dozen  trees  flaming  up  at  once.  Behind  was  the  main  fire,  to  the  right  was 
a solid  sheet  of  flames,  and  the  only  avenue  of  escape  was  to  plunge  into  the 
woods,  already  taking  fire  on  the  left  side. 

It  was  now  a race  for  life,  with  the  chances  against  escape.  Turning  to  the  left 
the  farmer  hoped  that  by  making  a sharp  run  for  it  he  might  head  off  the  fire, 
turn  its  path  and  again  reach  the  road.  He  had  almost  accomplished  this  object, 
when  he  encountered  a “swale”  of  considerable  extent,  and  found  that  he  must 
tarn  toward  the  main  fire  and  endeavor  to  work  around  the  “ swale  ” before  the 
flames  could  reach  it.  Sparks  and  cinders  were  falling  all  around  him.  The 
ground  was  covered  with  dry  leaves,  the  wind  sweeping  through  the  trees  in  gusts, 
and  several  times  Langworth  had  to  leap  over  the  running  flames.  In  one  of  his 
leaps  he  tripped  and  fell,  plunging  headlong  into  soft  mud  and  water.  This  was 
a most  fortunate  occurrence  for  him,  as  his  clothing  had  already  been  scorched  by 
the  flame.  He  ran  forward  at  his  greatest  speed,  hearing  the  fire  roaring  on  all 


286 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


sides,  and  when  he  reached  the  end  of  the  marsh  the  flames  blistered  his  cheeks 
as  he  passed  around  the  swamp  and  struck  the  high  ground. 

In  turning  and  twisting,  and  bewildered  by  the  smoke,  he  had  lost  all  know- 
ledge of  the  country,  and  now  he  ran  forward  with  but  one  idea  of  keeping  in  ad- 
vance of  the  fire.  As  the  forest  was  here  more  open,  and  the  leaves  had  been  well 
cleaned  off  by  the  wind,  he  was  not  so  closely  pressed.  Almost  every  moment  he 
ran  across  wild  animals,  all  fleeing  for  a place  of  safety,  and  losing  their  fear  of 
man  in  the  general  desire  to  escape  the  more  relentless  foe  pressing  behind.  At 
length  Langworth  passed  beyond  the  roar  of  the  flames,  and  felt  that  he  had  es- 
caped the  fate  which  for  a time  seemed  certain.  He  knew  not  which  way  he  was 
traveling,  and  cared  not  so  long  as  he  could  keep  in  advance  of  the  fire.  The 
smoke  was  so  thick  that  he  had  to  press  forward  like  one  blindfolded.  Falling 
into  holes,  stumbling  over  logs,  he  pushed  on,  and  was  at  length  clear  of  the 
woods.  He  found  the  fire  everywhere.  Swamps  were  blazing,  logs  smouldering, 
trees  and  shrubs  burning,  and  the  short  grass  and  dry  turf  was  being  eaten  up  as 
if  it  were  dry  peat.  He  had  to  pick  his  way  between  and  around  the  lesser  fires, 
making  detours  where  the  fences  were  blazing,  and  at  last  arrived  at  the  outskirts 
of  St.  Charles,  to  find  every  man  and  woman  at  the  limits,  to  fight  for  the  salva- 
tion of  their  property  and  lives. 

Every  dollar  possessed  by  Langworth,  except  in  real  estate,  was  swept  away  by 
the  flames.  The  clothing  he  had  on  was  so  scorched  that  it  could  be  picked  to 
pieces  with  the  fingers,  and  he  had  at  least  a score  of  blisters  on  his  face  and 
hands.  But  his  loss  was  small  compared  with  that  of  others.  As  he  states,  the 
flames  have  swept  for  miles,  burning  barn,  fences,  haystacks,  houses  and  sheds, 
reducing  many  a farmer  from  wealth  and  plenty  to  almost  absolute  beggary.  The 
flames  stopped  at  nothing.  They  traveled  with  the  wind,  against  it,  and  made  a 
scene  of  desolation  in  their  route.  Hundreds  of  cattle  and  sheep  have  been 
smothered  or  roasted,  and  the  fury  of  the  flames  has  almost  blotted  some  localities 
out  of  recognition. 

THRILLING  NARRATIVE. 

A FIGHT  FOB  LIFE  THROUGH  A FLAMING  FORREST — DEATH  STRUGGLE  WITH  A 
MANIAC— A RAIN  OF  FIRE — THE  RESCUE,  ETC.  STORY  OF  MRS.  MECHAND. 

On  the  norning  of  the  11th  of  October,  just  as  we  were  sitting  down  to  take 
breakfast,  Mr.  Richardson,  a neighbor  of  ours,  came  running  into  the  house  and 
told  Mr.  Mechand  that  he  must  come  out  immediately  and  see  what  could  be 
done.  During  the  night  the  wind  had  risen,  but  not  so  greatly  as  to  amount  to 
anything  like  a gale,  but  rather  did  it  resemble  the  ordinary  fall  wind.  Mr.  Mech- 
and did  not  seem  at  all  uneasy,  and  leisurely  swallowed  his  breakfast  before  follow- 
ing Mr.  Richardson  who  had  disappeared  as  soon  as  he  had  stuck  his  head  into 
the  room  and  called  my  husband.  Mr.  Mechand  went  into  the  woods  and  stayed 
until  about  noon,  when  he  came  running  back  and  said  that  he  had  climbed  up  to 
the  top  of  Brown’s  Hill,  where  the  wind  was  blowing  a gale,  and  from  there  had 
seen  the  fire,  which  was  coming  towards  us  at  a rapid  pace.  Indeed  1 had  feared 
as  much,  and  had  been  exceedingly  uneasy  all  the  morning,  for  the  smoke  which 
for  days  had  been  in  the  valley  where  we  lived  had  become  more  and  more  dense, 
and  occasionally  hot  puffs  of  wind  had  blown  down  over  the  hills,  driving  the 
smoke  in  a dense  cloud  before  it.  I asked  my  husband  if  he  thought  there  was  any 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


287 


dangm  to  be  feared  ; lie  shook  his  head  and  answered  “ No,”  yet  I knew  from  his 
face  that  tie  was  far  from  being  devoid  of  fear.  He  ate  his  dinner  hastily,  and 
then  ran  out  again,  and  was  met  at  the  door  by  a neighbor  who  said  the  fire  was 
advancing  witn  frightful  speed.  Indeed  the  air  had  now  become  sultry  as  it  never 
had  before  except  on  some  hot  days  in  summer  immediately  before  the  coming  of 
a thunder  storm.  The  air  was  stiffling,  and  the  smoke  got  into  one’s  lungs  and 
nostrils  in  sucn  a way  as  to  render  it  exceedingly  unpleasant.  Mother  sat  in  a 
corner  holding  little  Louis  in  her  lap,  and  I noticed  that  she  seemed  restless,  and 
that  her  eyes  shone  with  a light  such  as  I have  sometimes  seen  in  the  eyes  of  a 
wild  beast,  and  had  only  seen  in  hers  in  the  old  days  when  she  was  about  to  have 
an  outburst  of  fury.  I was  frightened  and  fidgety,  and  didn’t  do  anything  in  the 
right  way.  I went  and  took  the  boy  away  from  mother,  who  relinquished  him 
readily  ; and  then,  as  I had  afterward  terrible  reason  to  remember,  although  I had 
hardly  noticed  it  at  the  time,  she  went  to  the  cupboard  and  secreted  something  in 
the  bosom  of  her  dress.  Mr.  Mechand  stood  at  the  door  speaking  hurriedly  with 
the  mau  whom  he  had  met,  when  a burning  branch  of  pine  fell  at  his  feet.  In- 
stantly the  air  darkened,  a violent  puff  of  wind  rushed  upon  us,  and  smoke  poured 
in  volumes  about  the  house.  Then,  following  the  gust,  a bright  sheet  or  rather 
wall  of  fire,  seemed  to  be  pushed  down  almost  upon  us,  and  instantly  everything 
was  in  flames,  Mr.  Mechand  cried  out  to  me  to  bring  Louis  with  me,  and  seized 
mother  by  the  hand,  and  we  all  four  ran  out  into  the  woods  ahead  of  us.  I ran  on 
blinded  and  choked  by  the  smoke,  and  carrying  Louis  in  my  arms.  He  was  pale 
with  terror,  and  did  net  utter  a single  cry,  but  clung  to  my  neck  as  I hurried  on, 
stumbling  and  tripping  at  nearly  every  step.  So  sudden  had  been  the  rush  of  the 
fire  that  we  had  no  chance  of  saving  anything  but  our  lives,  even  if  we  had  cared 
to  do  so.  I kept  calling  to  my  husband  to  keep  in  sight,  but,  poor  fellow,  there 
was  no  need  of  doing  so,  for  I could  see  that  mother  was  a great  worry  to  him.  and 
that  he  had  almost  to  drag  her  along.  She  kept  looking  from  side  to  side,  and 
trying  to  break  away  from  him  ; even  then  I thought  how  terrible  it  would  be  if 
she  should  become  furious  again.  What  on  earth  could  we  do  with  her  ? 

We  must  have  gone  on  in  this  way  for  at  least  three  miles,  and  I was  almost  ex- 
hausted, for  Louis  was  a boy  six  years  old  and  large  for  his  age,  and  I had  been 
carrying  him  all  the  way.  The  trees  were  compact,  and  in  some  places  the  under- 
growth was  close  and  stiff  as  wire.  Mother  kept  getting  worse,  and  Mr.  Mechand, 
who  was  a short  distance  ahead  of  Louis  and  me,  had  the  greatest  difficulty  to 
make  her  obey  him.  Presently  he  stopped,  and  evidently  was  waiting  for  me 
to  come  up.  So  I took  Louis  down  and  told  him  to  keep  alongside  of  me,  at  the 
same  time  taking  him  firmly  by  the  hand.  The  fire  had  come  much  slower  than 
me,  and  I believe  we  must  have  been  at  least  two  miles  ahead  of  it,  although  there 
was  no  telling,  for  I could  see  nothing  behind  or  far  before  me  but  smoke  curling 
like  a mist  in  and  out  of  the  trees.  Behind  us,  indeed,  it  was  heavier,  and  looked 
a sullen,  dirty  white. 

We  could  not  have  been  six  feet  from  my  husband  when  my  mother  broke  away 
from  him,  and  with  a loud  cry  darted  off  into  the  woods,  and  then  I knew  that 
what  I had  dreaded  had  indeed  come  to  pass,  and  that  excitement  and  danger  had 
brought  back  an  old  sickness  upon  her.  She  was  a maniac.  Mr.  Merchand  dart- 
ed after  her,  and  in  the  terror  of  the  moment  I forgot  all  else  and  followed  him, 
leaving  poor  little  Louis  behind.  I must  have  been  crazy  to  do  so,  but  on  I rush- 
ed, and  soon  saw  that  mother  was  cunning  enough  to  escape  by  doubling  on  her 
tracks,  for  I saw  her  dress  dart  past  the  bushes  at  my  side  as  she  ran  diagonally 


288 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


away  from  me.  I sprang  after  her,  and  after  running  for  abou^  five  minutes, 
found  to  my  horror  that  I had  not  only  lost  her,  but  Louis  and  his  father.  Madly 
I tried  to  retrace  my  steps,  but  there  was  nothing  to  guide  me — no  path,  no  blazes 
on  the  trees.  The  wind  shook  the  trees,  and  almost  bent  them  double  ; the  sultry 
air  filled  with  smoke,  and  all  the  horrors  of  my  terrible  condition  made  me  frantic. 
I rushed  about  helpless,  crying,  and  screaming,  “Louis!  Louis!  Father!”  But 
that  last  word  made  me  calm  for  an  instant  and  I felt  that  I was  not  alone — not  ut- 
terly lost  in  the  burning  woods,  for  the  spirit  of  my  dead  father  was  near  and 
there  were  guardian  angels.  I knelt  down,  took  my  crucifix  from  my  neck,  and 
prayed.  In  kneeling  down  I found  to  my  great  joy  that  my  dress  was  wet.  I had 
knelt  near  a spring.  I bathed  my  face  and  hands,  and  soaked  my  hair  and  the 
upper  portion  of  my  dress.  But  then  my  boy — my  little  Louis.  I sprang  to  my 
feet,  and  called  on  the  Virgin  to  direct  me,  dashed  on  in  the  direction  of  the  fire. 
I had  not  gone  more  than  a quarter  of  a mile  when  I found  my  darling,  standing 
with  head  erect,  and  his  flashing  eyes  filled  with  angry  tears,  trying  to  beat  away 
some  wolves,  which,  hungry  though  they  were,  seemed  bent  only  on  flight.  I 
cried,  “Louis!  Louis!”  and  clasped  him  to  my  heart,  It  was  my  boy,  and  he 
was  saved.  He  had  not  seen  his  father  though  once  he  heard  a man’s  voice  call- 
ing, but  the  voice  seemed  to  have  come  from  an  immense  distance.  “ Oh,  Louis,” 
said  I,  “ we  are  lost  unless  we  find  him.  We  must  run  for  our  lives.”  The  boy 
began  to  cry,  and  then  I was  ashamed  of  what  I had  said,  and  tried  to  cheer  him 
up.  The  fire  must  have  been  very  near  us  then,  for  I could  not  only  feel  its  heat- 
ed breath,  but  above  my  head,  among  the  tree-tops,  sparks  and  firebrands  were 
whirling  in  the  air.  I took  Louis  in  my  arms,  determined  that  never  again  should 
he  be  separated  from  me  ; and  pressed  onward  with  the  idea  that  I would  soon 
reach  Wolf  River. 

Night  was  coming  on,  and  since  noon  we  had  had  nothing  to  eat.  I did  not  feel 
hungry,  but  was  tormented  with  thoughts  of  what  might  happen  if  we  should  not 
soon  reach  some  place  of  safety,  for  I feared  that  Louis  would  give  out,  and  that 
was  one  of  the  reasons  which  made  me  carry  him.  My  arms  ached,  and  my 
limbs  were  scratched,  bruised  and  bleeding.  Still  I made  good  headway,  and 
soon  came  to  a natural  clearing,  on  the  thither  side  of  which  we  sat  down  to  rest. 
By  this  time  night  had  come  on,  and  what  a night ! No  moon,  no  stars,  but  the 
cloudy  heavens  lighted  up  afar  with  the  horrible  fire  of  the  burning  woods.  The 
clearing  in  which  «ve  sat  was  the  dried  up  bed  of  a stream,  which  for  some  unac- 
sountable  reason  had  not  thickly  wooded  shores , and  we  were  at  least  two  hun- 
dred feet  from  the  forest  in  flame.  All  this  time,  Louis,  manly  little  fellow,  that 
he  was,  had  not  even  asked  for  food,  nor  had  he  cried  since  I myself  foolishly 
frightened  him. 

We  sat  there  a long  time  while  I was  trying  to  think  where  we  were,  but  I could 
come  to  no  conclusion.  I had  heard  my  husband  speak  of  a stream  which  had 
run  dry,  but  that  was  in  a northeasterly  direction  from  our  house,  and,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  I was  lost,  yet  I had  a general  notion  that  I was  approach- 
ing the  Wolf  River.  The  stars  could  give  me  no  information,  for  I could  not  see 
them.  What  to  do  I scarcely  knew,  but  when  the  heat  of  the  fire  became  such 
that  I could  not  doubt  that  it  was  near,  I determined  to  press  on  away  from  it, 
and  taking  Louis’  hand  I set  out.  On  ordinary  nights  it  would  have  been  dark, 
but  there  was  a nameless  glare,  a terrible — a horrible  reflection  which  came 
down  from  the  sky,  mingled  with  the  smoke.  Hardly  had  I risen  from  the 
ground  when,  in  the  direction  of  the  woods  on  the  other  side  of  the  clearing,  I 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


289 


heard  a clashing  noise,  a mingled  gnashing  and  hoarse  barking,  which  I instantly 
recognized  as  that  of  wolves,  and  I scarely  had  time  to  snatch  up  Louis  and  run 
behind  a magnificent  pine  tree,  whose  trunk  was  at  least  six  feet  in  diameter,  be- 
fore I heard  them  scrambling  up  the  side  of  the  hill,  and  felt  them  rush  by  me. 

They  did  not  stop  for  an  instant,  and  when  they  passed,  there  came  in  their 
tracks  a herd  of  deer,  uttering  cries  that  seemed  almost  human  in  their  intense 
agony.  They  ran  blindly,  for  something  more  terrible  than  wolves  was  behind 
them  ; they  struck  the  tree  and  were  hurled  back  by  the  shock,  some  of  them 
falling  back  upon  those  below.  The  stampede  seemed  to  last  for  full  ten  minutes, 
and  when  it  was  over,  and  I,  trembling  with  fear,  dared  once  more  to  emerge 
from  my  refuge  and  look  across  the  clearing,  I saw  the  woods  at  its  edge  already 
burning — saw  it  lurid  through  the  smoke,  and  felt  its  terrible  heat  upon  my  face. 
I turned  and  fled  in  the  w ake  of  the  deer  and  wolves.  My  shoes  were  stripped 
from  my  feet,  and  my  ankles  were  torn  and  bloody.  Fallen  trees  lay  in  my  way, 
but  I clambered  over  and  crawled  under  them  in  my  desperate  flight.  I was  agon- 
ized with  terror  and  despair,  and  finally  sank  to  the  ground  with  my  boy  in  my 
arms. 

I must  have  fainted,  for  I knew  nothing  of  what  passed  till  I was  rudely  shaken 
by  the  shoulder  and  heard  a wild  gibbering  laugh.  I opened  my  eyes,  and  above 
me  stood  my  mother  with  a drawn  knife  in  her  hand.  The  woods  seemed  all 
ablaze,  although  the  air  was  not  so  intolerably  hot  as  it  had  been.  My  mother 
looked  down  upon  me  with  eyes  blazing  with  that  hated  light  of  insanity. 

“Ho,  ho !”  said  she,  “fine  time  of  night  for  a mother  and  child  to  be  running 
through  the  woods  ! Fine  night  this  ! Night — it  is  day  ! Look  at  the  red  light — 
’tis  the  light  of  dawn.  And  the  rocks  are  burning  ! Call  on  them  to  fall  upon 
you  ! The  clouds  of  thunder  and  the  day  of  doom  ! The  Lord  is  coming,  anti 
the  wheels  of  his  chariot  burn  with  his  mighty  driving  ! Let  us  go  up  to  meet 
him  in  mid-air  ! Let  us  ride  on  the  smoke  and  thunder  and  sweep  the  stars  from 
the  heavens ! Come,  you  shall  go  with  me !”  and  she  seized  Louis  who  had 
thrown  himself  upon  me  and  was  clinging  in  terror  to  my  breast. 

Isprangtomy  feet  and  cried,  “Mother,  mother!  what  would  you  do — would 
you  kill  me  and  Louis  ?” 

“Kill  you?  Yes!  Why  wait?  The  Lord  calls  and  the  devil  drives.  He  has 
let  loose  his  imps  against  the  world.  The  trees  fall  crashing  in  the  forest ; for 
all  hell’s  demons  pull  them  down  with  hooks  of  fire.  I have  seen  them  as  I fol- 
lowed you.  I have  seen  you  all  the  way.  I rode  over  on  a wolf : ’twas  a loup 
garou,  an  old  friend  of  mine,  brought  me  over  safely,  and  kept  me  from  the  deer. 
I will  kill  you ! Would  you  burn  to  death?  You  shall  go  up — up,  higher  than  the 
moon,  and  beyond  the  fire.  Come,  let  us  go  !:’  and  again  she  seized  Louis,  while 
a knife  gleamed  in  the  air. 

I sprang  at  her,  and  with  all  the  strength  of  a mother  in  my  arms,  I struggled 
with  her.  Tom,  worn,  and  bleeding,  as  I was,  the  thought  of  my  child  and  hus- 
band gave  me  the  strength  of  a giant.  I overpowered  the  mad  woman,  and  forget- 
ing  that  she  was  my  mother — that  she  was  anything  but  the  would-be  murderess 
of  my  boy — I seized  her  by  the  throat  when  she  was  down  rolling  on  the  ground, 
and  I could  have  strangled  her.  Her  insanity  had  almost  made  me  mad,  and  I 
felt  then  what  a murderous  maniac  feels. 

But  then  I thought  that  my  mother  was  lying  almost  dead  and  powerless,  and 
the  fire  would  soon  advance  and  overwhelm  us  all.  My  hand  was  stayed,  and 
when  my  mother  rose  to  her  feet  all  her  wildness  was  gone,  and  in  its  place  that 


290 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


calmness — almost  imbecility — which  had  characterized  her  for  the  last  few  years. 
She  was  ready  and  willing  to  do  everything  that  I told  her,  but  I kept  the  knife 
fast  in  my  hand. 

The  wind  was  falling,  and  a slight  rain  was  dropping  among  the  leaves  overhead, 
as  we  went  on  for  an  hour  or  two  longer,  and  then,  overpowered  with  exhaustion, 
and  no  longer  greatl  y dreading  the  fire,  we  lay  down  in  a hollow  and  fell  asleep. 
When  we  awoke  it  was  morning.  I was  sick  and  completely  exhausted,  and  hard- 
ly knew  that  there  were  men  around  us.  Yet  there  were,  and  good,  kind  men, 
too,  who  gave  us  food,  and  drove  us  to  a place  of  shelter,  whence,  as  soon  as  we 
were  able,  we  went  to  Green  Bay,  where  I soon  recovered  from  my  sickness  and 
terror  of  that  dreadful  night.  My  mother  continues  in  that  same  state  of  imbecili- 
ty, which  the  doctor  says  will  soon  become  complete  dementia.  Louis  was  not 
long  in  recovering,  but  as  yet  I have  heard  nothing  from  my  husband. 

AN  OLD  VETERAN  WHO  “STATED  TO  SEE  IT  OUT.” 

A man  named  Allison  Weaver,  who  reached  Detroit  from  Port  Huron,  had  a 
curious  and  narrow  escape  from  being  roasted  alive  in  the  North  Woods. 

Weaver  is  a single  man,  about  fifty  years  old,  and  served  all  through  the  war  in 
an  Ohio  Regiment  of  infantry.  Up  to  two  weeks  before  the  fire  he  was  at  work 
for  a man  named  Bright,  ten  miles  from  Forrestville,  as  a fireman  of  a shingle 
mill.  Two  or  three  days  before  the  approach  of  the  flames,  which  eventually  de- 
stroyed that  section,  Bright  and  his  family  left  for  Forrestville,  and  the  next  day 
all  the  men  employed  about  the  place  either  followed  his  example  or  made  haste 
to  reach  their  homes.  On  leaving,  Bright  informed  his  men  that  the  fire  would 
sweep  that  way,  and  warned  them  to  lose  no  time  in  making  their  escape.  Hav- 
ing no  property  to  lose  or  family  to  take  care  of,  Weaver  determined,  as  he  says, 
“to  stay  and  see  the  circus  out,”  meaning  that  he  intended  saving  the  mill  if  pos- 
sible. He  has  a stubborn  sort  of  a spirit  and  the  fact  that  everybody  else  went 
induced  him  to  stay. 

As  soon  as  the  men  left  he  set  to  work  and  buried  all  the  provisions  left  in  the 
house,  and  during  the  day  buried  the  knives,  belts  and  other  light  machinery  of 
the  mill,  as  well  as  a stove  and  a quantity  of  crockery  ware.  There  was  plenty  of 
water  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mill,  and  he  filled  several  barrels  full,  besides  wetting 
down  the  house,  mill,  stock,  and  everything  which  would  burn,  scattering  several 
hundred  pailfuls  of  water  on  the  ground  around  the  buildings.  When  night  came 
and  the  fire  had  not  appeared,  he  began  to  jeer  his  absent  comrades.  About  ten 
o’clock  the  heavens  were  so  light  that  he  could  distinguish  the  smallest  objects 
around  him,  and  there  was  a roaring  in  the  forest  which  sounded  like  waves 
beating  against  rocks  on  the  shore.  He  began  to  suspect  that  he  was  soon  to  re- 
ceive the  visit  predicted,  and  accordingly  made  preparations  for  it.  In  leveling  up 
the  ground  around  the  shingle  mill,  earth  had  been  obtained  here  and  there, 
and  Weaver  went  to  work  and  dug  one  of  these  pits  deep  enough  for  him  to 
stand  up  in. 

He  then  filled  it  nearly  full  of  water,  and  took  care  to  saturate  the  ground 
around  it  for  a distance  of  several  rods.  Going  to  the  mill  he  dragged  out  a four 
inch  plank,  sawed  it  in  two,  and  saw  that  the  parts  tightly  covered  the  mouth  of 
the  little  well.  “I  kalkerlated  it  would  tech  and  go,”  said  he,  “ but  it  was  the  best 
I could  do.”  At  midnight  he  had  everything  arranged,  and  the  roaring  then  was 
awful  to  hear.  The  clearing  was  ten  or  twelve  acres,  and  Weaver  says,  that  for 
two  hours  before  the  fire  reached  him  there  was  a constant  flight  across  the 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


291 


grounds  of  small  animals.  As  lie  rested  a moment  from  giving  the  house  another 
wetting  down,  a horse  dashed  into  the  opening  at  full  speed  and  made  for  the 
house  where  he  stopped  and  turned  toward  the  fire.  Weaver  could  see  him  trem- 
ble and  shake  in  his  excitementand  terror,  and  felt  a pity  for  him.  After  a mo- 
ment the  animal  gave  utterance  to  a snort  of  dismay,  ran  two  or  three  times 
around  the  house,  and  then  shot  off  into  the  woods. 

Not  long  after  this  the  fire  came.  Weaver  stood  by  his  well,  ready  for  the  emer- 
gency, yet  curious  to  see  the  breaking  in  of  the  flames.  The  roaring  increased  in 
volume,  the  air  became  oppressive,  a cloud  of  dust  and  cinders  came  showering 
down,  and  he  could  see  the  flames  through  the  trees.  It  did  not  run  along  the 
ground,  nor  leap  from  tree  to  tree,  but  it  came  on  like  a tornado,  a sheet  of  flame 
reaching  from  the  earth  to  the  top  of  the  trees.  As  it  struck  the  clearing  he 
jumped  into  his  well  and  closed  over  the  planks.  He  could  no  longer  see,  but  he 
could  hear.  He  says  that  the  flames  made  no  halt,  whatever,  nor  ceased  their 
roaring  for  an  instant,  but  he  had  hardly  got  the  opening  closed  before  the  house 
and  mill  were  burning  like  tinder,  and  both  were  down  in  five  minutes.  The 
smoke  came  down  to  him  powerfully,  and  his  den  was  so  hot  that  he  could  hardly 
breathe. 

He  knew  that  the  planks  above  him  were  on  fire,  but  remembering  their  thick- 
ness, he  waited  until  the  roaring  of  the  flames  had  died  away,  and  then  with  his 
head  and  hands  turned  them  over,  and  put  out  the  fire  by  dashing  up  water  with 
his  hands.  Although  it  was  a cold  night,  and  the  water  had  at  first  chilled  him, 
the  heat  gradually  warmed  it  up  until  he  says  that  he  felt  quite  comfortable.  He 
remained  in  his  den  until  daylight,  frequently  turning  over  the  planks  and  put- 
ting out  the  fire,  and  then  the  worst  had  passed.  The  earth  around  was  on  fire  in 
spots,  house  and  mill  were  gone,  leaves,  brush  and  logs  were  swept  clean  away,  as 
if  shaved  off  and  swept  with  a broom,  and  nothing  but  soot  and  ashes  were  to  be 
seen. 

After  the  fire  had  somewhat  cooled  off,  Weaver  made  an  investigation  of  his 
caches,  and  found  that  considerable  of  the  property  buried  had  been  saved,  al- 
though he  lost  all  his  provisions  except  a piece  of  dried  beef,  which  the  fire  had 
cooked  as  in  an  oven  without  spoiling  it.  He  had  no  other  resouroe  than  to  re- 
main around  the  place  that  day,  during  the  night,  and  the  greater  part  of  next  day, 
when  the  ground  had  cooled  enough  so  that  he  could  pick  his  way  to  the  site  of 
the  burned  village.  He  was  nearly  twelve  hours  going  the  twelve  miles,  as  trees 
were  falling,  logs  were  burning,  and  the  fallen  timber  had  in  some  places  heaped 
up  a breastwork  which  no  one  could  climb. 

An  Affecting  Incident. 

HOW  A MOTHER  AND  HER  CHILDREN  ESCAPED  FROM  FIRE — FIVE  CHILDREN  IN  AN 
OARLESS  BOAT  THREE  DAYS  AND  NIGHTS, 

A thrilling  incident,  and  miraculous  escape  from  death  was  in  the  case  of  the 
family  of  five  children  of  Mr.  William  Mann,  of  Rock  Creek.  When  the  moth- 
er saw  that  they  must  leave  their  home,  after  fighting  the  fire  all  day,  she  told 
the  children  (five  in  number)  to  go  to  the  lake  and  she  would  follow  as  soon  as  she 
had  gathered  up  a few  articles  to  take  with  her.  They  reached  the  lake  just  in 
time  to  be  taken  into  a fishing  boat,  which  three  neighbors  were  about  to  shove 
off.  The  mother  in  the  meantime  had  gathered  up  what  she  could  carry,  and 
started  for  the  lake,  but  found  the  road  which  her  children  had  taken  so  full  ot 
smoke,  and  fire,  and  falling  trees,  that  she  took  another  course  through  the  woods, 


292 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


coining  out  some  distance  above  where  the  children  were.  She  knew  not  whether 
her  pets  had  passed  through  the  fiery  ordeal  safely  or  not.  She  naturally  feared 
the  worst,  but  finally  heard  they  had  been  taken  off  by  the  boat. 

Here  commences  the  romantic  and  thrilling  part  of  the  story.  There  was  not 
an  oar  or  sweep  on  board  ; a piece  of  board  was  all  they  had  to  control  the  boat 
with.  For  some  time  the  boat  rode  gently  on  the  water,  all  the  time  working  a 
little  out  from  the  shore,  although  they  did  not  realize,  on  account  of  the  density 
of  the  smoke,  how  far  they  were  getting  from  the  shore.  They  presumed  they 
could  easily  return  at  their  pleasure.  It  soon  became  apparent,  on  account  of  the 
roughness  of  the  lake,  that  they  were  rapidly  drifting  into  the  lake,  and  they 
made  all  the  efforts  they  possibly  could  to  guide  their  unwieldy  craft  back  to- 
ward the  shore.  Hour  after  hour  they  labored,  but  all  in  vain.  They  knew  if 
they  continued  to  drift,  death  was  almost  sure.  All  were  in  the  greatest  despair. 

The  oldest  of  the  children,  a girl  of  eleven  summers,  was  the  bravest  of  the  loh 
She  held  the  baby  almost  constantly  during  that  terrible  trip.  On  they  went,  the 
waves  frequently  breaking  over  them— of  course  all  were  wet  and  cold.  Night 
came  on  with  Egyptian  darkness.  After  weary,  and  long,  long  hours  of  suffering, 
daybreak  was  joyously  hailed.  They  were  then  beyond  the  smoke  of  the  burning 
forests.  They  were  sure  they  would  hail  some  vessel.  All  day  long  they  looked, 
until  darkness  again  set  in,  without  seeing  a sail.  At  about  two  o’clock  in  the 
morning  of  the  third  day  out,  one  of  Mr.  Mann’s  children,  a boy  of  three  summers, 
died  from  hunger  and  exposure  ; when  it  died  it  was  lying  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  with  water  half  over  its  little  body.  The  little  eleven  years  old  girl  said 
she  wanted  the  men  in  the  boat  to  put  it  on  the  bedding,  but  they  would  not,  and 
she  was  too  weak  and  was  holding  the  baby,  and  could  not  do  it.  The  children 
did  not  cry  much  on  the  last  day,  as  all  were  nearly  exhausted.  Finally,  after 
three  days  and  nights,  they  were  drifted  on  shore  at  Kincardine,  Ontario,  where 
their  wants  were  speedily  attended  to,  and  from  there  sent  to  Port  Huron. 

During  these  three  days  the  reader  can  imagine  the  mother’s  feelings.  Every- 
body that  knew  of  the  circumstances  supposed,  of  course,  they  had  gone  to  the 
bottom  of  the  lake.  The  mother  arriving  at  Port  Huron,  at  once  went  to  the 
relief  rooms.  After  making  herself  known,  and  bewailing  the  fate  of  her  children 
in  piteous  sobs  and  moans  (she  had  supposed  them  all  dead  till  this  moment),  Mrs. 
Fred.  Wells,  the  secretary  of  the  Relief  Association,  told  her  her  children  were 
there,  well  and  apparently  happy.  I cannot  picture  the  scene.  “ Oh  ! is  it  so?  is 
it  so  ?”  “ God  bless  their  little  hearts  !”  “ Where  are  they?”  “ Take  me  to  them 

at  once !”  Mrs.  Wells  informed  her  they  were  near  by,  and  she  would  bike  her 
there  at  once.  Another  and  more  painful  part  of  the  story  was  yet  to  be  told  Mrs. 
Mann.  How  to  do  this  was  a query,  all  the  ladies  in  the  room  dreading  to  break 
the  dreadful  tidings  to  her.  At  last  Mrs.  Mann  began  to  ask  her  how  Emma  was, 
and  then  the  next  one.  Finally  she  asked  how  little  Charlie  was.  No  one  answer- 
ed for  a moment.  She  looked  up  and  saw  at  once  all  was  not  right.  “Is  he 
dead  ? is  he  dead  ?”  and  commenced  weeping  as  only  a fond  and  loving  mother 
can,  for  the  loss  of  her  boy. 

THIRTY-TWO  PEOPLE  PERISH  IN  A WELL. 

An  eye-witness  of  the  recent  devastating  fires  near  Uniontown,  Wisconsin,  re- 
lates an  incident  occurring  during  the  conflagration,  which  is  absolutely  unparal- 
leled in  the  history  of  all  similar  horrors.  He  writes : 

“The  most  horrible  of  all  was  at  Boorman’s  well.  Mr.  Boorman’s  house  was 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


293 


tlie  largest  in  the  village,  and  in  the  center  of  the  yard,  midway  between  the  house 
and  barn,  was  a large  but  shallow  well.  Several  of  the  neighbors  were  supplied 
with  water  from  this  fountain,  and  it  is  likely  that  in  the  conflagration,  when  all 
hope  was  cut  off,  the  neighborhood,  insane  with  terror,  thronged  with  one  purpose 
to  this  well.  The  ordinary  chain  and  wheel  pump  used  in  that  place  had  been  re- 
moved, and  the  wretched  people  had  leaped  into  the  well  as  the  last  refuge. 
Boards  had  been  thrown  down  to  prevent  them  being  drowned  ; but,  evidently, 
the  relentless  fury  of  the  fire  drove  them  pell-mell  into  the  pit,  to  struggle  with 
each  other  and  die,  some  by  drowning  and  others  by  fire  and  suffocation.  None 
escaped.  Thirty-two  bodies  were  found  there  ; they  were  in  every  imaginable 
position,  but  the  contortions  of  their  limbs,  and  the  agonizing  expression  of  their 
faces,  told  the  awful  tale. 

REMARKABLE  PHENOMENA. 

A citizen  of  Green  Bay  who  passed  through  the  fire  at  Peshtigo,  and  saved 
himself  and  a woman  and  children  he  met,  by  getting  on  a low  spot  of  ground  or 
in  a ditch,  and  covering  them  over  with  wet  blankets,  tells  the  story  ; They  had  got 
well-covered  up  in  this  burrow,  when  a half-frantic  woman  rushed  along  with  a 
great  bundle  in  her  arms.  She  had  been  well  dressed,  but  her  clothes  were  half 
off.  She  stopped  and  deposited  her  bundle,  which  consisted  of  a child  and  a lot 
of  clothing,  and  then  shrieked,  “Great  God,  where  is  my  baby?”  At  this  the 
narrator  sprang  up,  and  saw,  a few  rods  off,  a baby  in  its  night-clothes  lying  on 
the  road  and  kicking  up  his  heels  in  great  glee,  while  a billow  of  flame  rolled  over 
it,  striking  the  ground  beyond,  and  leaving  the  baby  in  the  center  of  a great 
arch  of  fire.  The  baby  had  slid  out  of  the  bundle,  unperceived  by  the  mother  in 
her  haste.  He  immediately  sprang  for  the  child,  and  with  difficulty  rescued  it 
It  is  no  wonder  that  the  mother  fainted  when  she  secured  the  child. 

Walter  Heath  was  one  of  the  proprietors  of  the  Peshtigo  House.  When  the  fire 
occurred,  his  family,  with  the  girls  employed  in  the  house,  escaped  from  the  hotel 
by  a team,  and  were  saved  on  the  low  land  below  Ellis’  House.  Heath  got  into 
the  river  on  the  west  side  of  the  bridge  and  clung  to  the  center  pier  of  the  bridge. 
The  wind  blew  the  fire  from  the  hotel  to  where  he  was.  The  hotel  was  near  the 
south  end  of  the  bridge  and  on  the  west  side  of  the  street.  At  the  north  end  of 
the  bridge  and  east  of  the  street  was  the  Peshtigo  Company’s  water  mill,  and  the 
flames  from  that  also  blew  directly  to  his  position.  Thus  it  seems  that  the  wind 
on  two  sides  of  the  river  blew  in  exactly  opposite  directions.  Heath  was  saved 
from  the  fact  that,  being  on  the  west  side  of  the  pier,  the  flames  from  the  water 
mill  divided  at  the  pier  and  passed  him  on  both  sides.  The  bridge  being  on  fire 
he  dare  not  swim  through  with  the  current,  but  when  the  fire  on  the  bridge  had 
got  uncomfortably  close  he  took  off  his  coat,  pulled  off  his  boots,  and  swam  up 
stream  to  a place  of  safety.  He  had  a very  narrow  escape  from  death,  and  has 
not  yet  recovered  from  breathing  the  hot  air  and  smoke. 

He  tells  us  that  the  most  vivid  imagination  can  not  picture  the  scene  of  the 
calamity  as  bad  as  it  actually  was.  In  his  opinion  as  many  as  1,000  people  lost 
their  lives  on  the  Peshtigo  ; that  752  bodies  have  been  buried,  and  that  many 
were  entirely  burned  up.  The  names  of  half  the  dead  will  never  be  known.  They 
are  buried  all  over  Peshtigo,  and  the  boards  that  mark  their  graves  are  marked 
“2  unknown,”  “3 unknown,”  etc. 

Much  has  been  said  of  the  intense  heat  of  the  fires  which  destroyed  Peshtigo, 
Menekaunee,  Williamsonville,  etc.,  but  all  that  has  been  said  cannot  give  the 

dM  - I 


294 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


stranger  even  a faint  conception  of  the  realities.  The  heat  has  been  compared  with 
that  engendered  by  a flame  concentrated  on  an  object  by  a blow-pipe,  but  even 
that  would  not  account  for  some  of  the  phenomena.  For  instance,  we  have  in  our 
possession  a copper  cent,  taken  from  the  pocket  of  a dead  man  in  the  Peshtigo 
Sugar  Bush,  which  will  illustrate  our  point.  This  cent  has  been  partially  fused, 
but  still  retains  its  round  form,  and  the  inscription  upon  it  is  legible.  Others  in 
the  same  pocket  were  partially  melted  off,  and  yet  the  clothing  and  the  body  of  the 
man  were  not  even  singed.  We  do  not  know  how  to  account  for  this,  unless,  as  is 
asserted  by  some,  the  tornado  and  fire  were  accompanied  by  electrical  phenomena. 

The  house,  bam,  and  fences,  of  Mr.  Hill,  of  the  upper  Sugar  Bush,  were  burned, 
and  Mr.  Hill  and  his  family  all  lost.  , By  the  side  of  the  family  was  a narrow  alley, 
just  wide  enough  to  drive  through.  In  this  alley  stood  a wagon,  afid  while  the 
barn  and  fence  were  entirely  destroyed,  the  wagon  box  was  not  even  singed. 

Alfred  Phillip’s  house,  in  the  upper  Sugar  Bush,  was  destroyed,  but  the  family 
escaped.  They  state  that  two  opposite  currents  of  air  apparently  struck  the  house, 
which  was  16  by  24  feet,  and  carried  it  bodily  into  the  air,  about  100  feet.  It  then 
burst  into  flames,  and  in  a few  minutes  was  entirely  destroyed.  The  house  was  not 
on  fire  when  it  left  the  ground. 

We  do  not  believe  that  any  other  explanation  of  the  great  calamity  can  be  made 
than  that  it  was  caused  by  fire,  wind  and  electricity. 

More  than  a hundred  villages  and  hamlets  were  destroyed,  besides 
about  six  hundred  farms  with  all  their  stock  and  utensils,  numerous 
saw  mills,  flouring  mills,  and  lumber  men’s  camps.  The  loss  of  life 
is  said  to  have  been  not  less  than  1,400,  and  the  loss  of  property  in 
Michigan,  Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota,  is  estimated  at  $11,000,000.  It 
will  require  a quarter  of  a century  to  recover  from  the  terrible  dis- 
aster. 

We  might  fill  a book  much  larger  than  this  with  interesting  inci- 
dents of  these  fires,  many  of  them  unutterably  tragic,  but  all  par- 
taking of  the  general  character  of  those  contained  in  the  preceeding 
pages  ; and  it  is  therefore  proper  to  state  that  we  have  selected  those 
possessing  the  most  interest  for  readers  at  large,  giving  the  best  and 
most  comprehensive  idea  of  the  great  events  they  describe. 

The  relief  of  the  sufferers  throughout  the  northwest  was  prompt 
and  adequate.  Contributions  of  money  and  clothing  were  made  by 
the  people  everywhere  in  the  same  spirit  that  prompted  them  to  re- 
spond to  the  appeal  of  Chicago,  and  the  hungry  and  naked  were  fed 
and  clothed  with  a celerity  almost  magical.  God  bless  all  the  noble 
hearts  that  so  generously  responded  to  the  cry  for  succor. 


REFUGEES  FROM  WHITE  ROCK,  HURON  CO.,  MICH.  SEEKING  SAFETY  IN  THE  WATER 


LAYING  THE  CORNER-STONE  OF  THE  FIRST  BUILDING  AFTER  THE  FIRE« 


The  Great  Fires  of  the  Past. 

BOME. 

In  Ancient  History  we  find  an  account  of  a terrible  fire  in  Rome,  A.  D.  64,  said 
to  have  been  kindled  at  the  instigation  of  the  famous  Nero,  whose  ambition  was  to 
destroy  the  city,  that  he  might  rebuild  it  and  call  it  by  his  own  name. 

In  the  words  of  the  historian. 

“Of  all  calamities  which  ever  befell  this  city  from  the  rage  of  fire,  this  was  the 
most  terrible  and  severe. 

It  broke  out  in  that  part  of  the  circus,  which  is  contiguous  to  Mount  Palatine  and 
Calius,  and  being  accelerated  by  the  wind,  it  acquired  strength  and  spread  at  once 
through  the  whole  extent  of  the  circus,  It  invaded  first  the  lower  portion  of  the 
city,  then  mounted  to  the  highest,  then  again  ravaging  the  lower  it  baffled  every 
effort  to  extinguish  it,  and  raged  for  five  days  with  unabated  violence. 

At  length  on  the  sixth  day  the  conflagration  was  stayed  at  the  foot  of  Esquil,  by 
pulling  down  an  immense  number  of  buildings  so  that  an  open  space  might  check 
the  raging  element  by  breaking  the  continuity. 

Two  days  later  the  fire  broke  out  afresh  with  no  little  violence,  and  still  greater 
havoc  was  made  among  the  temples  and  porticos  dedicated  to  amusement. 

******** 

Of  the  fourteen  sections  into  which  Rome  was  divided,  four  only  were  standing 
entire  ; three  were  levelled  with  the  ground  and  in  the  seven  others  there  remained 
only  here  and  there  a few  remnants  of  houses,  shattered  and  half  consumed. 

MOSCOW. 

On  the  16th  of  September,  1812,  at  midnight,  Napoleon,  in  utter  exhaus- 
tion of  body  and  mind,  retired  to  rest.  Suddenly  the  cry  of  “ fire”  resounded 
through  the  streets.  Far  off  in  the  East  immense  volumes  of  billowy  smoke, 
pierced  with  flames,  were  rolling  up  into  the  stormy  sky.  Loud  explosions  of 
bursting  shells  and  upheaving  mines  scattered  death  and  dismay  around.  Sud- 
denly the  thunders  as  of  an  eathquake  were  heard  in  other  directions.  A score  of 
buildings  were  thrown  into  the  air.  Flaming  projectiles  of  the  most  combusti- 
ble and  unquenchable  material  were  scattered  in  all  directions,  and  a new  volcano 
of  smoke  and  flame  commenced  its  ravages.  Earthquake  succeeded  earthquake,  and 
volcano  succeeded  volcano.  The  demon  of  the  storm  seemed  to  exult  in  his  high 
carnival  of  destruction.  The  flames  were  swept  in  all  directions.  The  shower  of 
fire  descended  upon  all  the  dwellings  and  all  the  streets.  Mines  were  sprung, 
shells  burst,  cannons  were  discharged,  wagons  of  powder  and  magazines  blew 
up,  and  in  a few  hours  of  indescribable  confusion  and  dismay,  the  whole  vast  city 
was  wrapped  in  one  wild  ocean  of  flame.  The  French  soldiers  shot  the  incendia- 
ries, bayoneted  them,  tossed  them  into  the  flames,  but  still,  like  demons,  they 
plied  their  work.  Napoleon  awoke  early  in  the  morning  and  looked  out  upon*the 
flames,  which  were  sweeping  through  all  parts  of  the  city.  For  the  first  time  in 
his  life  he  appeared  excessively  agitated.  His  far-reaching  mind  apprehended  at 
a glance  the  measurelessness  of  the  calamity  which  was  impending.  He  hur- 
riedly paced  his  apartment ; dictated  hasty  orders,  and  from  his  window  anxiously 
watched  the  progress  of  the  fire.  The  Kremlin  was  surrounded  with  gardens  and 
shrubbery,  and  seemed  for  a time  to  afford  shelter  from  the  flames  ; but  mines  of 


I 


300  THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 

powder  were  in  its  vaults,  with  various  combustibles  arranged  to  communicate  the 
fire.  As  Napoleon  gazed  upon  the  conflagration  he  exclaimed,  “ What  a frightful 
spectacle!  Such  a number  of  palaces!  The  people  are  genuine  Scythians.” 
“ Not  even  the  fiction  of  the  burning  of  Troy,”  said  Napoleon  afterward,  “ though 
hightened  by  all  the  powers  of  poetry,  could  have  equalled  the  reality  of  the  des- 
truction of  Moscow.” 

During  the  whole  of  the  17th,  and  of  the  ensuing  night,  the  gale  increased  in 
severity,  and  the  fire  raged  with  unabated  violence.  The  city  now  seemed  but 
the  almost  boundless  crater  of  an  indistinguishable  volcano.  Various  colored 
flames  shot  up  to  an  immense  height  into  the  air  ; incessant  explosions  of  gun- 
powder, saltpetre  out  of  iron  and  stone,  and  burning  rafters  were  hurled  far  off 
into  the  surrounding  plain,  crushing  many  in  their  fall.  Multitudes  encircled  by 
the  flames  in  the  narrow  streets  were  miserably  burned  to  death . The  scene  of 
confusion  and  dismay  has  probably  never  been  equalled.  The  soldiers,  stifled 
with  smoke,  singed  with  flames  and  lost  in  the  streets  of  the  burning  city,  fled 
hither  and  thither,  before  a foe  whom  they  were  unable  even  to  attack.  They 
were  often  seen  staggering  beneath  immense  packages  of  treasure,  which  they 
were  frequently  compelled  to  abandon  to  effect  their  escape.  Miserable  women 
were  seen  carrying  one  or  two  children  on  their  shoulders  and  dragging  others  by 
the  hand,  attempting,  often  in  vain,  to  flee  from  these  accumulating  horrors.  Old 
men,  with  beards  singed  by  the  fire,  crept  slowly  and  feebly  along,  and  in  many 
cases  were  overtaken  and  destroyed  by  the  coils  of  flames  that  pursued  them. 
Napoleon  was  indefatigable  in  his  exertions  for  the  rescue  of  his  soldiers  and 
the  remaining  inhabitants. 

At  length  it  was  announced  that  the  Kremlin  was  on  fire.  The  flames  so  encir- 
cled it  that  escape  seemed  almost  impossible.  The  fire  was  already  consuming 
the  gates  of  the  Citadel.  It  was  not  until  after  a long  search  that  a postern  could 
be  found  through  which  the  imperial  escort  could  pass.  Blinded  by  cinders  and 
smothered  with  heat  and  smoke,  they  pressed  along  on  foot,  till  they  came  to  a 
roaring  sea  of  fire,  which  presented  apparently  an  impassable  barrier.  At  last  a 
narrow,  crooked,  diverging  street  was  found  blazing  in  various  parts,  and  often 
overreached  with  flame.  It  was  an  outlet  which  despair  alone  could  enter.  Yet 
into  this  formidable  pass  Napoleon  and  his  companions  were  necessarily  impelled. 
iVith  burning  fragments  falling  around,  and  blazing  cinders  showered  upon  them, 
they  toiled  along,  almost  blinded  and  suffocated  with  heat  and  smoke. 

At  length  the  guide  lost  his  way,  and  stopped  in  utter  bewilderment.  All  now 
gave  themselves  up  for  lost,  It  was  remarked  that,  in  this  terrible  hour,  Napo- 
leon was  perfectly  calm  and  self-possessed.  Just  then  they  caught  a glimpse  of 
Marshal  Davoust,  who,  with  a company  of  soldiers,  was  in  search  of  the  Emperor. 
The  marshal  had  signified  his  determination  to  rescue  the  hope  of  France  or 
perish  in  the  attempt.  Napoleon  affectionately  embraced  the  devoted  Prince. 
They  soon  encountered,  in  the  blazing  streets,  a convoy  of  gunpowder,  along 
which  they  were  compelled  to  pass,  while  flaming  cinders  were  falling  around. 
The  energies  of  Napoleon’s  mind  were  so  disciplined  for  the  occasion  that  not  the 
slightest  indication  of  alarm  escaped  him.  They  soon  emerged  from  the  walls  of 
the  city,  and  Napoleon  retired  to  the  castle  of  Petrowshoi,  about  three  miles  from 
the  burning  metropolis.  T’he  Emperor,  as  he  looked  back  upon  the  city,  gloomily 
remarked:  “This  forbodes  no  common  calamity.”  “It  was,”  said  he,  years 

afterward,  “ the  spectacle  of  a sea  and  billows  of  fire,  a sky  and  clouds  of  flame, 
mountains  of  red,  rolling  flames  like  immense  waves  of  the  sea,  alternately  burst- 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WAS  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


301 


ing  forth  and  elevating  themselves  to  skies  of  fire,  and  then  sinking  into  the  ocean 
of  flame  below.  Ah,  it  was  the  most  grand,  the  most  sublime,  the  most  terrific 
sight  the  world  ever  beheld.  ” 

The  fire  began  to  decrease  on  the  9th  for  want  of  fuel.  “ Palaces,  and  temples.” 
says  Karmanzin,  “monuments  of  art  and  miracles  of  luxury,  remains  of  ages  long 
since  past  and  the  creations  of  yesterday,  the  tombs  of  remotest  ancestry  and  the 
cradles  of  children  of  the  rising  generation,  were  indiscriminately  destroyed. 
Nothing  was  left  of  Moscow  save  the  remembrance  of  its  former  grandeur.  The 
French  army  was  now  encamped  in  the  open  fields  around  the  smouldering  city. 
Their  bivouacs  presented  the  strangest  spectacle  which  had  ever  been  witnessed. 

Immense  fires  were  blazing,  fed  by  the  fragments  of  the  most  costly  furniture 
of  satin  wood  and  mahogany.  The  soldiers  were  sheltered  from  the  piercing 
winds  by  the  tents  reared  from  the  drapery  of  the  regal  palaces.  Superb  arm- 
chairs and  sofas,  in  the  richest  upholstery  of  imperial  purple  and  crimson  velvet 
afforded  seats  and  lounges  for  all.  Cashmere  shawls,  Siberian  fans,  pearls  and 
gems  of  Persia  and  India,  were  strewed  over  the  ground  in  wild  confusion.  In 
the  midst  of  all  these  wrecks  of  boundless  opulence  the  soldiers  were  famishing. 

LONDON. 

Among  the  great  conflagrations  of  the  past,  that  of  London,  in  September  1666, 
will  always  stand  pre-eminent  for  its  terrible  destructiveness.  It  followed  upon 
the  great  plague,  which  had  carried  off  one-third  of  the  population  in  the  previous 
year,  and  swept  over  nearly  five-sixths  of  the  space  included  within  the  city  walls 
at  that  date.  It  lasted  four  days,  and  the  ruins  covered  four  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  acres.  It  destroyed  eighty-nine  churches  (including  St.  Paul’s),  the  Royal 
Exchange,  the  Custom-House,  Guildhall,  Zion  College,  and  many  other  public 
buildings,  besides  13,200  private  houses.  Four  hundred  streets  were  entirely 
laid  waste,  and  about  200, 00U  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  were  obliged  to  encamp 
for  some  time  in  the  ope  a fields  of  Islington  and  Highgate.  The  most  disastrous 
fire  since  that  date  occurred  on  the  25th  of  March,  1748,  when  200  houses  in  the 
Cornhill  Ward  were  destroyed.  Many  destructive  fires  have  occurred  in  the 
British  metropolis  at  later  dates,  the  most  recent  worthy  of  special  note  being  the 
burning  of  the  cotton  and  other  wharves' of  Tooley  street  in  June  and  July,  1861. 
The  fire  continued  raging  with  greater  or  less  fury  for  nearly  a month.  Several 
persons  were  killed,  and  property  was  destroyed  to  the  value  of  £2,000,000. 

HAMBUKG. 

On  the  5th  of  May,  1842,  a fire  broke  out  in  the  City  of  Hamburg,  Germany, 
which  raged  with  great  fury  for  four  days,  destroying  about  one-third  of  the  city. 
Sixty-one  streets  containing  1,747  houses,  were  utterly  laid  waste,  and  thousands 
of  people  were  rendered  homeless.  There  were  few  public  buildings  of  value 
destroyed,  and  that  portion  of  the  city  was  quickly  rebuilt  in  a much  more  sub- 
stantial manner  than  before. 

NEW  YOKE. 

In  this  country  great  fires,  especially  before  the  day  of  improved  fire-engines, 
have  been  comparatively  frequent,  and  New  York  has  had  her  full  share.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1776,  soon  after  the  city  came  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  500  houses 
were  destroyed,  forming  at  that  time  a large  part  of  the  town.  The  buildings 
were  rather  huddled  together  at  the  lower  end  of  the  island,  and  were  mostly  of 
wood,  and  the  district  west  of  Broadway  and  below  Cortland  street,  was  swept  bare. 


302 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


New  York  was  visited  by  another  great  conflagration,  the  greatest  in  its  history,  on 
the  18th  of  December,  1835.  Six  hundred  warehouses,  and  property  to  the 
extent  of  $20  000,000,  were  consumed.  Our  oldest  inhabitants  still  remember  the 
horrors  of  that  terrible  disaster.  On  the  6th  of  September,  1839,  the  city  had 
another  severe  visitation,  when  forty-six  buildings,  and  property  valued  at  $10,- 
000,000  were  destroyed.  The  next  conflagration  of  large  extent  in  this  city  took 
plsce  on  the  19th  of  July,  1845,  when  302  stores  and  dwellings  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  city  were  destroyed.  These,  however,  were  of  comparatively  inferior  value, 
the  whole  loss  amounting  to  $6,000,000.  Four  lives  were  lost  on  this  occasion. 
Since  that  time,  owing  to  the  increased  efficiency  of  the  means  employed  to  pre- 
vent and  extinguish  fires,  they  have  generally  been  confined  to  a single  building  or 
a small  group. 

QUEBEC* 

In  the  same  year  of  the  last  great  fire  in  New  York,  Quebec  suffered  terribly 
from  the  same  destroying  element.  On  the  28th  of  May  a fire  broke  out  in  the 
Faubourgh  St.  Roch  which  destroyed  1,500  buildings  before  it  could  be  quelled. 
Several  lives  were  also  lost.  Exactly  one  month  later  1,300  buildings  were  burned, 
and  by  these  two  conflagrations  nearly  two-thirds  of  the  city  was  laid  in  ruins. 
The  pecuniary  loss  has  been  stated  at  $8,000,000. 

st.  John’s. 

In  the  same  year,  on  the  12th  of  June,  nearly  the  whole  town  of  St.  John’s, 
Newfoundland,  was  destroyed,  and  6,000  people  were  rendered  homeless. 

ALBANY. 

Albany  suffered  from  a great  conflagration  on  the  9th  of  September,  1841.  Six 
hundred  buildings,  besides  steamboats,  piers,  and  other  property,  valued  altogether 
at  $3,000,000  were  burned.  Twenty-four  acres  of  land  within  the  city  limits  were 
covered  with  ruins. 

ST.  LOUIS. 

St.  Louis  had  a great  fire  in  May,  1849,  when  fifteen  blocks  of  houses  and  twenty- 
three  steamboats  were  consumed,  causing  a loss  of  over  $3,000,000. 

PHILADELPHIA. 

Philadelphia  has  been  fortunate  in  having  few  great  fires,  but  one  occurred  in 
that  city  on  the  9th  of  July,  1850,  which  destroyed  350  buildings.  These  were  of 
inferior  value,  and  the  whole  loss  was  but  $1,500,000,  though  twenty-five  persons 
were  burned  to  death,  nine  drowned,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  injured. 

SAN  FRANCISCO. 

A large  portion  of  San  Francisco  was  destroyed  in  1851.  On  the  3d  of  May  a 
fire  broke  out  which  consumed  nearly  2,500  buildings,  causing  a loss  of  $3,500, 
000  and  several  lives.  A little  over  a month  later,  on  the  22d  of  June,  500  more 
buildings  were  burned,  valued  at  $3,000,000  or  more. 

SYRACUSE. 

Twelve  acres  of  land  in  Syracuse  were  burned  over  on  the  8th  of  November, 

1 866.  Abont  100  buildings  were  destroyed,  and  the  loss  of  property  amounted 
to  $1,000,000. 

PORTLAND. 

The  scene  most  naturally  recalled  by  this  fearful  disaster  in  Chicago  is  the  ter- 
rible celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July  in  Portland,  Me.,  in  1866.  The  leading 


CHICAGO  AS  IT  WA8  AND  AS  IT  IS. 


303 


facts  in  that  great  event  are  still  fresh  in  the  public  mind.  The  fire,  beginning  in 
a boot  shop  on  High  street,  swept  North,  and  destroyed  in  its  course  nearly  one- 
half  of  the  city.  The  pecuniary  loss  was  about  $15,000,000,  and  one-fourth  of  the 
population  were  rendered  houseless. 

SKETCH  OE  THE  BURNED  CITY  OP  GENEVA. 

The  smoke  from  the  smouldering  embers  of  Chicago  has  hardly  been  dissipated 
when  there  comes irom  beyond  the  water  intelligence  that  another  “City  of  the 
Lake  ” has  all  but  suffered  the  fate  of  its  American  sister,  to  which  it  bears  so 
close  a resemblance.  Geneva,  if  not  as  complete  a waste  as  Chicago,  has  so  nar- 
rowly escaped  it  as  to  afford  almost  a parallel  to  our  unparalleled  calamity.  The 
full  extent  of  the  calamity  has  not  yet  been  ascertained,  and  can  not  be  estimated 
for  some  days. 

Fortunately  Geneva  offered  natural  barriers  to  the  progress  of  the  flames  which 
very  greatly  lessened  the  extent  of  the  disaster.  It  is  situated  upon  the  slopes 
of  two  hills  which  are  divided  by  the  Rhone,  which  in  its  course  from  the  lake 
forms  two  islands,  on  one  of  which  a portion  of  the  town  is  built.  On  the  other 
of  these  islands  there  is  a handsome  promenade.  The  islands  and  the  two  princi- 
pal parts  of  the  city  are  connected  by  a fine  suspension  bridge.  The  streets  are 
wide  and  spacious.  The  public  buildings  include  the  Catholic  Cathedral  (Mgr. 
Mermillods),  the  Hotel  de  Yille,  the  University,  (founded  by  Calvin  and  Beza), 
the  Hotel  de  la  Couronne  (which  was  burnt),  the  Hotel  do  l’Ecu,  the  museums 
of  art  and  natural  history,  the  public  library,  containing  30,0C0  volumes,  and 
many  valuable  manuscripts.  The  largest  section  of  the  city  is  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  river.  The  Quartier  de  St  Gervais,  on  the  right  bank,  is  the  seat  of  the  man- 
ufactures and  the  residences  of  the  humbler  classes.  The  Quartier  des  Bergnes  is 
the  fashionable  section.  The  manufactures  of  the  town  are  world-famous.  The 
population  of  the  Canton,  of  which  it  is  the  capital,  is  about  64,000,  including  34,- 
000  Protestants,  29,000  Catholics,  and  a few  hundred  Jews. 

If  it  were  admissible  to  trace  a historical  or  social  contrast  between  a city  which 
has  a history  older  than  the  Christian  era,  as  well  as  social  surroundings  long  es- 
tablished and  widely  connected,  and  a mushroom  city  of  yesterday,  with  its  soci- 
ety in  a metamorphic  if  not  a wholly  chaotic  condition,  it  would  not  be  difficult 
to  discover  many  points  of  resemblance  between  the  centre  of  Swiss  commercial 
and  mental  activity  and  the  great  commercial  centre  of  the  West,  besides  the  facts 
that  both  are  cities  of  the  lakes  and  that  both  have  suffered  from  that  enemy 
which  both,  of  all  other  cities  existing,  should  have  been  best  prepared  to  fight. 

Few  towns  of  Europe  have  a more  interesting  or  varied  history  than  this  city, 
which,  having  passed  through  so  many  trials,  now  undergoes  the  ordeal  of  fire. 
A hundred  names  rise  to  the  lips  when  Geneva  is  mentioned  ; names  famous  in 
letters,  in  arms,  in  criticism,  diplomacy,  politics,  and  theology,  saints  and  sin- 
ners, heresiarchs  and  martyrs,  pedestrians  and  latitudinarians,  orthodox  believ- 
ers and  incorrigible  skeptics,  reformers  and  believers  in  Borne,  infallibilists,  and 
haters  of  the  Scarlet  Lady,  friends  of  Imperialism  and  admirers  of  the  universal 
republic,  members  of  the  Peace  Society  and  come-outers  of  all  kinds,  by  no 
means  forgetting  the  arbitrators  of  the  little  trouble  between  these  States  and 
Great  Britain.  Geneva  is  not  a town  of  last  week,  or  of  the  month  of  October. 
In  the  seoond  century  before  Christ  it  was  of  sufficient  importance  to  attract 
the  attention  of  Rome — the  legions  of  which  made  it  their  own — and  even  since, 
Borne,  pagan  and  papal,  has  had  its  eyes  on  this  important  center — political,  com* 


304 


THROUGH  THE  FLAMES  AND  BEYOND. 


mercial,  social  and  religious.  Of  the  stormy  history  of  this  capital  during  all  the 
period  from  the  days  of  Charlemagne  down  to  the  Reformation,  and  thence  to- 
day, almost  every  one  knows  something.  In  war  it  has  become  the  object  of  at- 
tack of  the  German,  the  Italian,  and  the  Gaul,  and  with  varying  fortune  it  has 
generally  returned  to  its  old  love— a republican  form  of  government  and  politi- 
cal association  with  Switzerland.  In  religion  it  has  been  a central  point  of  the 
fight  between  Calvinism  and  Catholicism,  and  at  the  present  day  this  fight  is  car- 
ried on  with  as  great  bitterness  as  in  the  days  of  the  Prince  Bishops  and  Calvin  and 
William  Farel.  Marie  d’Aubigne  on  one  side,  and  Mgr.  Mermillod  on  the  other, 
are  fair  types  of  the  contest  in  which  they  are  so  eminent  leaders.  It  is  a curi- 
ous incident  of  this  quarrel  that  the  most  accurate  and  the  earliest  news  of  Rome 
and  of  Catholicism  is  now  to  be  obtained  through  the  agencies  of  this  capital  of 
Calvinism  and  free  thought. 

Of  the  great  names  whom  business  or  leisure  have  associated  with  this  city  and 
the  delightful  region  that  surrounds  it,  mention  may  be  made  of  Francis  ot  Sales, 
Calvin,  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau,  Beza,  Madame  de  Stael,  Voltaire,  Gibbon,  Ma- 
rie d’Aubigne,  Mermanod,  Byron,  Shelly,  John  Knox — who  was  enrolled  a citizen 
of  Geneva — Necke",  our  own  statesman,  Gallatin.  Beranger,  Cassaubon,  Marie 
Louise,  J osephine,  Sir  Humphrey  Davy,  Sismondi,  and  Dumont,  and  the  emi- 
nent scientific  scholars,  De  Luc,  De  Sauserre,  Bonnet,  Huber  and  De  Candolle. 

CHICAGO. 

The  terrible  fire  in  Chicago  has  no  parallel  in  modem  history,  unless  in  the  con- 
flagrations kindled  by  war.  Even  the  great  fire  of  London,  though  relatively 
more  destructive,  did  not  equal  it  in  absolute  extent.  The  London  of  that  day 
was  little  more  than  two-thirds  the  size  of  the  Chicago  of  to-day,  having  less  than 
250,000  inhabitants  ; and  if  two-thirds  of  Chicago  is  in  ruins,  the  desolate  terri- 
tory is  far  greater  than  the  five-sixths  of  London  said  to  have  been  laid  waste 
in  1666. 


IMPROVISED  SHANTIES  AFTER  THE  FIRE. 


I 


3.  N.  JANES  AND  WIFE  TRYING-  TO  SAVE  A FAVORITE  DOG  AND  THEIR  CANARY  BIRDS. 


RESCUE  OF  LADIES  FROM  THE  FLAMES. 


NDEX. 

J PAGE. 

DEDICATION. 4 

LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 11 

INTRODUCTION. 17 

PIONEER  HISTORY. . - 29 

Chicago  as  it  was  in  Earlier  Days.  - 29 

Facts  and  Incidents.  -------29 

GENERAL  HISTORY. 41 

Improvements.  -------  41 

Town  and  City  Organizations.  - 41 

Price  of  Real  Estate.  ------  41 

Instances  of  Sudden  Fortunes.  - 41 

Cession  to  the  United  States  by  the  Pottawatamie  Tribe 

of  Indians. -42 

Commencement  of  Progress.  -----  44 

Granting  of  the  City  Charter.  -----  45 

Rapid  advance  in  Valuation  of  Property  - - 45 

PRESENT  HISTORY. -55 

Chicago’s  Pre-eminence.  ------  55 

A GENERAL  ACCOUNT. 

Of  what  the  Author  saw  and  heard,  including  his  per- 
sonal view  of  the  Fire  and  many  Thrilling  Incidents,  - 61 

THE  GREAT  CONFLAGRATION  HISTORICALLY 

TREATED. 83 

THE  GREAT  FIRE  OF  OCTOBER  EIGHTH.  - - 89 

The  Elevators. - 107 

Public  Buildings.  -------  107 

Breweries  Destroyed. - 108 

Field,  Leiter  & Co.  -------  108 

Banks,  Ac.  - 109 


312 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 


Lawyers. 

Distilleries. 

Coal  Yards. 
Newspaper  Offices. 


109 

109 

109 

109 


City  Property.  -------  HO 

Additional  Losses.  ------  m 

THE  BURNING  CITY,  (Poem.) 117 

INCIDENTS,  ACCIDENTS,  TRAGEDIES,  and  WON- 
DERFUL ESCAPES. 119 

Record  of  Facts.  -------  119 

Sufferings  of  Women.  - - 119 

Heart  Rending  Mistake.  ------  122 

Unexampled  Bereavement.  -----  122 

George  Howard.  -------  123 

A Happy  Occasion. - 124 

A Surprise. - 125 

Fuel  to  the  Flames.  ------  126 

Horrors.  - --  --  --  - 126 

Bereavement.  - 127 

Miraculous  Escape.  128 

The  Last  Scene.  -------  128 

The  Morgue.  - - 131 

A Retrospect.  -------  133 

Taken  by  Surprise.  -------  136 

Adventure  of  a young  Englishman  and  his  Room- 
mate. -------  - 141 

A Timely  Rescue.  -------  141 

Romantic  Incident.  ------  149 

Running  the  Gauntlet  of  Flame.  - 153 

Incidents  of  Personal  Experience.  - 153 


FIRE  MARSHAL’S  STORY. 171 


Graphic  account  of  the  Great  Fire. 
Startling  Incidents  forcibly  detailed. 
Blowing  up.  - - - - 


171 

171 

173 


INDEX. 


313 


PAGE. 

HOW  VALUABLE  RECORDS  WERE  SAVED.  - - 179 

What  a Woman  Relates.  - 181 

A Touching  Home  Picture.  -----  182 
ORIGIN  OF  THE  FIRE.  183 

Another  Theory.  -------  184 

Still  Another  Theory. - 185 

Confession  of  a Member  of  a Secret  Organization.  - 186 

Burning  of  the  Business  Portion  of  the  City.  - - 190 

CALL  FOR  HELP,  (Poem.) 199 

STARTING  OF  THE  FIRST  TRAIN  OF  SUPPLIES, 

(Poem.)  - - 204 

RELIEF,  ---------  207 

The  Great  Heart  of  the  People  Aroused.  - - - 207 

Firemen  from  Abroad.  ------  208 

Unexampled  Liberality  of  City  Governments  and  Cor- 
porations. - 209 

Illinois  Legislature.  ------  211 

Railroads.  --------  212 

Magnificent  Liberality.  ------  212 

Munificence  of  New  Yorkers.  -----  217 

Donations  of  the  Press.  -----  218 

Generosity  of  Cincinnati.  -----  223 

St.  Louis  to  the  Rescue. 224 

Sisters  of  Mercy.  - 225 

Louisville.  - --  --  --  - 225 

Houses  of  Worship.  226 

Bible  Society.  - - 231 

Washington,  D.  C.  - - - - - - 231 

Typographical  Union.  - - - - - 232 

Juvenile  Generosity  -------  232 

Relief  Societies.  - - - - - - - 237 

Honor  to  the  Ladies. 238 

Mr.  E.  Hudson’s  Generosity.  -----  238 


314 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

EFFECT  OF  THE  NEWS  IN  ENGLAND  - - - 239 

Active  Measures  Taken  for  Belief  of  Sufferers.  - 239 

LIBEBAL  CONTBIBUTIONS  FBOM  THE  CAPITAL 

OF  THE  GEBMAN  EMPIBE.  241 

Interesting  Correspondence  between  U.  S.  Consul 

Kreismann  and  Mayor  Mason.  - 241 

Empress  Augusta.  - 242 

Chinamen’s  Contributions.  -----  242 
Chicago  Aid  Society.  - 242 

Charity  of  the  Bight  Sort.  -----  246 
Woman’s  Industrial  Aid  Society.  - 246 

Miss  Barton.  - --  --  --  - 249 

Bobert  Collyer. 250 

Touching  Words  of  Thanks.  -----  253 

Gen.  P.  H.  Sheridan.  ------  253 

Insurance  Companies.  ------  254 

FEEtES  OF  THE  GBEAT  NOBTH-WEST.  - - 260 

Full  Description.  -------  260 

Thrilling  Incidents.  - - - - - - 260 

THE  PESHTIGO  FIBE. 260 

A Vivid  Picture.  -------  260 

In  the  Flames.  --------  262 

Schwartz  the  Hermit.  ------  262 

Down  in  a Well.  -------  267 

Burned  in  a Wagon.  ------  267 

Suddenly  Extinguished  Prospect  of  Safety.  - - 267 

Fire  Balloons. - - - 268 

Path  Through  the  Fire.  ------  268 

The  only  Trace.  -------  268 

Only  House  Left.  -------  268 

How  Articles  were  Saved.  ------  269 

Honeymoon  Tragedy.  ------  269 

Suicide. 269 


INDEX. 


315 


PAGE 

Fatal  Mistake.  - - - - - - - 270 

Minor  Incidents.  - - - - - - -270 

THE  MANISTEE  FIEE. 277 

A Thousand  People  Homeless.  - - - - - 278 

After  Scenes.  - - 278 

The  Future. - -279 

AHNAPPE.  - 280 

The  Terrible  Story  of  the  Last  Wisconsin  Hamlet  that 
Fought  the  Hurricane  of  Fire.  - 280 

ST.  CHARLES. 284 

An  Eventful  Experience.  ------  284 

THRILLING  NARRATIVE. 286 

A Fight  for  Life  through  a Flaming  Forest.  - - 286 

Struggle  with  a Maniac.  ------  286 

Rain  of  Fire.  - --  --  --  - 286 

The  Rescue.  - --  --  --  - 286 

Story  of  Mrs.  Mechand.  ------  286 

An  Old  Veteran  who  Stayed  to  See  it  Out.  - - 290 

An  Affecting  Incident.  ------  291 

How  a Mother  and  her  Children  escaped.  - - 291 

Five  Children  in  an  Oarless  Boat  for  three  days  and 

nights.  291 

Thirty-two  People  Perish  in  a Well.  - - . - 292 

Remarkable  Phenomena.  - 293 

GREAT  FIRES  OF  THE  PAST. 299 

Rome. - 299 

Moscow.  - --  --  --  --  299 

London. 301 

Hamburg. 301 

New  York.  - --  --  --  - 301 

Quebec.  - --  --  --  --  302 

St.John. 302 

Albany.  - 302 


316 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 


St.  Louis. 
Philadelphia. 
San  Francisco. 
Syracuse.  - 
Portland. 
Geneva. 
Chicago.  - 


302 

302 

302 

302 

302 

303 

304 


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